Sensitive Re-Collection
by SerenePhenix
Summary: A compilation of all the OS from both Sensitive and Recollection Series in chronological order. It can get very hard to understand each other, to become a family but even with the stones lying in our way, we know we can make it... Image by GraphiteDoll on DA. (May contain spoilers for the books)
1. Chapter 1 - Awkward

Jack felt positively awkward at the moment.

It had been a few weeks since they had managed to send Pitch back into the shadows under the beds of children all around the world and the Guardians had begun to reorganize and indulge into their duties. The lights on the Globe were once again increasing but it still would be a long way to go until all of the children believed once again.

But they had time now; Pitch wouldn't be coming back all too soon. But the Boogeyman wasn't what bothered the Guardian of fun as he was sitting together with the other legends at the Pole drinking a mug of hot chocolate, discussing what needed to be done to bring joy to the children again.

Jack did not feel awkward because he was being asked by everyone if he could lend them a hand (which he was more willing than ever, he wanted to make up to Bunnymund especially).

No.

Jack felt awkward because he had regained his memories from a life he had completely forgotten for the last three centuries and along with it came the memories of his sister, which he had saved from drowning in a frozen lake only to drown in it himself, but also his memories of his believes as a child.

Jack tried his best to hold back a purple blush to adorn his face which was pretty difficult, considering he was pale as a ghost.

Memory loss is a pretty tricky thing and it is even worse once contradicting feelings clash with each other.

Jack glanced up from his mug and stared at each and every one of the mystic figures he had adored and believed in as a child. There was North, big and brawny, bringing children gifts and presents on Christmas. Jack couldn't help the smile once he remembered his sisters face lighting up in excitement when she had found oranges, nuts, a few cookies and small doll in her little boot after having left it at front of the door. He would sometimes find himself with the same dainties and in one year where he had really been good even with the small figure of a hunter and a few wild animals carved out of wood.

He had pictured Santa Claus as a big man but really not as huge as North truly was, or with the Russian accent, or the tattoos by the way… He grinned like a fool as he thought about it but it faded a little as other memories pushed themselves in the forefront of his mind, like when he had desperately tried to get the man's attention with his futile attempts at breaking into his factory. How it had hurt when it was always just Phil and not North stopping him, as though he was some nasty nuisance (which he had probably been back then) not worth his time.

That thought hurt like a knife but he managed to drown out that pesky little voice by reminding himself of how fatherly the man treated him now and it really was soothing.

Then there was Tooth, chit-chattering quickly with Sandy.

Jack's mother had been a kind and caring woman and she done what she could with what little means they possessed to make sure her children grew up strong and healthy and that included they care for their teeth. When Jack had been very little and his sister was still inside his mother's belly, she would tell him about the Tooth Fairy and how she only took very pretty and clean teeth and left the ones that were not to her liking. By now, Jack knew that Tooth would take all the teeth to ensure that the children remembered everything – no matter what condition they were in.

Still, he was thankful his mother had hammered that believe into his thick little skull and later his little sister's, the result being that by the time he became Frost he still had all his teeth unlike the other kids and adults who had not cared so much as to what a sprite might think about the inside of their mouth. He was just happy that now he did not have to run around with a tooth gap for the rest of his immortal life.

He chuckled as an image of his sister came to his mind. She had always believed the Tooth Fairy to be a tiny little sprite much like the one the modern kids called "Tinkerbell". What he wouldn't do just to see Pippa's face once he told her, that her little fairy was in fact a very big and feathery one. She probably would have accused him of lying even if it was very much true.

He was not particularly angry at her for not bothering with him. It made sense. He had had no more baby-teeth to lose so of course, he was of no interest to her anymore. Still, being ignored is never a nice feeling no matter by whom or why. But Tooth had proven to be a great friend and companion and sometimes Jack found himself seeing his mother in those violet eyes.

Sandy on the other hand had a bit of a longer history with him, at least once after he became Jack Frost. As a kid he had also heard of the Sandman but his believe in him hadn't been as strong as in the others, maybe because he had trouble remembering the dreams he had had when he was younger.

The first time Jack had really taken notice of him was when he had been somewhere in Europe spreading a very harsh winter around 1810 or 1840 something. In retrospect he regretted his actions, seeing as it caused many people, worn and hungered out because of war, to die from freezing. Many children and many parents had been mourning at that time.

He remembered sitting on the highest branch of an ancient oak when the strings of light appeared.

Curious he had reached out his hand to touch the glowing, sun-golden sand seeing it transform into dolphins in front of his eyes. He jumped up and down a little seeing once again these graceful animals he had come across while flying over the ocean. He thought they had something in common, him riding the winds and they riding the currents.

He laughed as they danced around him engulfing him in that in that gentle and oh so warm light. As he looked up he caught sight of a man purely made out of sand too, a cloud of the same color holding him airborne. Jack had grabbed his staff and propelled himself on the platform. As though the strange man was expecting him he smiled, inclining his head in a friendly gesture. Jack had grinned back like a lucky school boy too happy that another sprite was acknowledging him without hostility like the Leprechaun (whose golden pot he had accidentally frozen while looking where a particularly beautiful rainbow ended) or the Groundhog (who was not pleased by his unwanted appearances).

Sandy had not "said" anything else that particular night. Instead he had concentrated of countering the nightmares of children, frightened to lose their family or their friends to the cruelty of the world and the harshness of the winter. Jack had been consumed by guilt looking at the Sandman to tell him what to do. He had stayed silent and had looked back at him.

He showed he did not disapprove of his nature; winter was winter and would always remain as such, but the twinkling in his eyes made him understand that maybe it was time to let these people regain strength and so Jack ad left for a more isolated area, sparing the humans for a bit. Jack couldn't shake the thought that during those years he had helped Pitch quiet a lot in his work of spreading fear and misery even if none believed in him. Maybe that was why Sandy had given Jack the hint to leave.

Sandy was the most understanding out of the four and Jack was honored to call someone as old and wise his friend. They were both rather silent and could enjoy each other's company wordlessly, which was turning in some kind of routine as they often came across each other on their travels around the globe and sometimes they would sit on a roof or whatever suited them, watching the sand do its work.

When Jack's eyes fell on Bunnymund he felt utter shame and embarrassment. Lately he had had problems looking the Pooka in the eyes since now he remembered just how much he had loved spring, Easter and the Easter rabbit. It had been his favorite season, when true to Bunny's word everything came to life once again and when it got warm enough for him to venture out into the woods to climb on trees and scare Pippa whit his neck-breaking antics.

As a five year old, he remembered making a very badly drawn sand-picture he had made of the Easter bunny as a little thank you for the pretty eggs he had hidden near their house one year. They had been so beautifully designed that Jack had nearly cried when they had to break them so that they would not get spoiled.

This time the blush came more fiercely and Jack drowned his face in his mug in the hopes the others would not notice. To his relief they really didn't.

Out of all of them, Bunny had been his favorite before his death, just like Tooth had been for Pippa and he felt stupid for having caused his childhood hero so much hassle, the worst being the snow-storm from '68 or this Easter. That's why he would not screw up the next time. He would make up for his wrongdoings.

Still, Bunnymund had not been the friendliest sprite on earth too, accusing Jack of only bringing cold and sickness to the people on their very first meeting. It also had been on an Easter Sunday but around 1900. They had met briefly seeing that he had been offended for making only a little frost. That was when he decided to nag the bunny out of spite and to prove to him that he also had his worth.

By now Jack knew that Bunny really just hated the cold and Jack found it somewhat ironic that instead of becoming a spirit of spring, his most favorite season, he became the very opposite to the Easter spirit thus becoming automatically his rival too.

But the true reason why he felt awkward was actually the thought that instead of just being a kid that believed in these legends, he was actually one of them.

A child, a great believer of these Guardians, reborn as one of the people he looked up to and was now part of their strange family. And Jack liked that idea. He knew the awkwardness would go away one day.

It was just a matter of time until he sorted out his own very mixed-up feelings.


	2. Chapter 2 - Reliability

It was evening already when they decided to call it a day. There wasn't really anything to discuss anymore. Tooth and Sandy would go back to their daily and nightly routines, North would indulge further into his preparations for this year's Christmas (which by his own words was going to be epic) and Bunnymund would go back from his warren, trying to bring it back to it's former warmth and glory.

Jack had agreed to help them all out occasionally, since a wandering spirit like him would either come across to one of them or have a bit more of three time once the northern hemisphere was in no more need of ice and snow when summer came. And even if the south also needed it's little winter chill it still wasn't as much work as further up north where he had more ground to cover.

North rose from his seat and stretched his back; his joints making a few popping noises that made everyone near cringe.

"I say, we all go to rest now. Day's been long."

Both Tooth and Sandy threw incredulous looks his way but did not comment his choice of words any further. After a few hundred years with the Spirit of Christmas they knew that he possibly couldn't understand that some of them just hadn't the luxury of having a leisure day. They smiled knowingly at each other as purple and yellow eyes met in understanding.

It was the Easter Bunny's voice that took them by surprise. The glee on that smirking muzzle was all too evident. "Hey, guys, watch this.", he hushed making his ear twitch in the direction of a comfy armchair close to the fireplace.

The Guardians hearts melted like some chocolate toffee in a child's mouth. Their newest recruit, Jack Frost slept soundly, curled up in that chair, empty mug clutched in one hand, the other resting on his stomach. Frost was spreading around his head and feet, decorating the red leather, the glow of the fire making it look like vines that were swaying in a slight breeze.

They approached him carefully, afraid to wake him and thus destroying this unusual and endearing moment. Once he was sure nothing would happen North gently took the mug from the boy's hand and gave a sign to a stray yeti that was wandering the halls, to get them a warm blanket.

"Poor sweettooth, he must be really exhausted.", cooed Tooth now watching the boy from above the backrest, her wings beating quickly but silently. Sandy who had seated himself next to where the fairy was flying nodded in agreement, pointing at the globe whose lights shined brightly.

"Guess it was only a matter of time, mate. Ever since that kid Jamie has been able to see him he's tried harder than ever to get believers.", Bunnymund commented getting the hint. They looked at each other, all knowing, all understanding now. And it worried them.

"The downside of being a Guardian.", North spoke out loud. The others glanced at the boy in the chair worriedly. Because of Pitch their fear of being forgotten was refreshened. They had been believed in for so long, so strongly that they had forgotten what it was like when only a handful of children truly could see you, as they had forgotten that eventually they could disappear should that believe not be strong enough anymore.

They had to admit, North, Tooth and Bunnymund especially, that it was a scary prospect. Once you are granted eternal life, the thought that you might die is quickly discarded.

Feeling the somber atmosphere, Sandy tried to get the other spirits' attention by conjuring up a sand replica of their little group, followed by yet another wave at the globe and finally back at Jack. They smiled a little, a more hopeful and somewhat thankful expression on their features.

"You right, Sandy. We help him get believers.", North replied smiling broadly.

Bunny frowned, seeming to think hard before looking back at them: "Sure thing, mate, but how do we do it? We still don't know how he got Jamie to believe in the first place." Another glance at the boy who made himself more comfortable. Bunny felt his heart break a little at what he would say next. "And if he doesn't get some more soon, he might be in trouble. All kids grow up eventually; even Jamie."

He did not want to crush their ambition but he thought that the issue should be addressed. He knew that children believed in him, because there had been a religious believe backing up his tradition. But Jack, well… was a three hundred years old winter spirit who mostly was given credit for giving people cold noses, if even.

Tooth's face fell a little but North just gave a dismissive wave of his big hand. "You worry too much. We will find a way. We always do."

Upon Bunny's skeptical look, he turned towards Sandy with an even bigger smile. "Sandy, could give children dreams and I could slip note on one of presents. It's not that difficult really."

Bunnymund couldn't help but shrug in a friendly gestured. This was just North, always optimistic, always up for a challenge. Sandy nodded some more, fully agreeing on what the Russian just said a bit of sand trickling down towards Jack.

For the shortest of moments an image of two people appeared before vanishing into particles again, the small amount of dreamsand not strong enough to maintain it. Intrigued they watched, hoping that the sand would come back but no such luck. Bunny's eyes glinted as he looked at Sandy who caught the other spirit's look.

"Hey, mate.", Bunny snickered, "You got some more of that sand?"

Surprise and then denial. Sandman having understood what the bunny was about to try crossed his arms in an X shape, shaking his head furiously. He knew what Bunny was about to suggest and he knew also that if Jack found out, heads would be rolling. The boy cherished nothing more than his privacy (well, apart from the kids really) and if they tried a stunt like this, with his dream sand, when he knew that Jack did not want things about himself revealed…

He remembered Jack saying something about him not wanting to get on Sandy's bad side. In all honesty, that feeling was mutual.

Bunymund's eyes twinkled and he crouched down like he wanted to leap up. With incredible agility did Sandy dodge Bunny by turning a cartwheel over the backrest while (Tooth quickly fying out of his way) Bunnymund missed and landed on the other side with a loud thud and in a scrambled heap.

Both Tooth and North winced looking at Bunnymund and then back at Jack afraid that the commotion had awoken him but he still slept, unaware of the quarrel that had broken out around him.

"Will you stop it!", Tooth hushed, nearly hissing , exasperated with her friends' antics, "You're gonna wake him up!"

Bunnymund just brushed off his blue fur giving her a mischievous grin.

"Oh, come on, ya' can't fool me, mate.", he crouched down again, less noticeably, but still evident enough for the Guardian of Dreams to notice and get ready, "Ya're just as curious as I am to find out if he likes ya'."

Startled and embarrassed, Tooth nearly forgot to beat her wings, dropping a few inches, her face gaining a rosy tint. Having her out of the way Bunny jumped a victorious grin on his muzzle as Sandy sprang into the direction he had expected. What he hadn't expected was a large hand grabbing at his foot in mid-air stopping him from reaching the Sandman and pulling him back. Another crash, louder than the first one, bounced off the walls while the clattering of a discarded mug added to it.

"Lemme' go!", Bunny grunted indignantly as he tried to get free from none other than Father Christmas who held a firm grip on one of his paws.

North would have replied, if there hadn't been a paw shoved in his face. It looked like the both of them were trying and failing miserably at a game of twister. Winter and Easter sprit fighting loudly, Tooth hovering above them and berating them equally as loudly they did not notice the warning flag over Sandy's head as the Sandman shot agitated looks towards the boy in the chair who had begun to shift restlessly.

His salvation came in form of a loud and barely understandable grunt. Bunnymund and North stopped struggling looking up from the floor, Bunny's paws pressed hard on Santa's face while the North's hands were pushing against the Pooka's chest with all his might. Tooth stopped in the middle of saying: "Why is it that the two of you…", her eyes bulging comically once she realized they had company.

The furry, grey yeti Phil stood next to Jack, a warm brown blanket in his large hands shaking his head disapprovingly while tucking in the winter prankster with Sandy's help. The little golden man had the ghost of a smug expression on his face. Not that any of the other Guardians noticed.

As though they had been bitten, North and Bunnymund and North scrambled up, looking anywhere but at the other occupants Tooth following their example as they came to realize how silly and childish this whole situation had become. One moment they were debating about how to help their newest family member and the next they were fighting like toddlers over the last cookie in the jar.

Adding to that that they started it out of selfish curiosity wasn't making it any better.

Although having stirred only moments before, Jack didn't so much as twitch as silence returned and he was gently laid back on the chair.

Still shaking his head Phil left the room wobbling back towards the workshop. He only regretted not having had a camera. There was so little that one could enjoy like making North flustered with potential black-mail. But he better keep that to himself. Jack really had rubbed off too much on him, he reckoned.

It took the Guardians a while to recover from their shock but eventually they found themselves where they had been to begin with- huddled around Jack Frost.

And suddenly the problems they had been talking about were back, the playful moments forgotten.

"Is he really going ta' be alright?", Bunnymund finally asked covering up his insecurity and show of affection for Jack by crossing his arms in a defying manner. Not that anyone bought it.

Sandy only smiled at him and patted his arm. A clock appeared above his head the hands turning madly and endlessly until he made it vanish.

"_Only time will tell."_

Still he waved both his arms at them and at the moon also, whose gentle rays fell on the boys face as though caressing them like a parent would with their child. They couldn't help but be convinced that everything would work out eventually.

They would make sure the boy was not alone and forgotten. Not now and ever again.

For Jackson Overland Frost was sadly one of those children they did not manage to save.

And they wanted to make up for that, since now they were granted this second chance.


	3. Chapter 3 - Reprimand

Reprimand

A Rise of the Guardians OneShot – Detached prequel to "Forgiveness"

Jack tapped his staff against the thick layer of ice he had created for this special occasion a bit too satisfied with himself and his newest work of art. He scoffed at the thought. Of course he could be proud of what he managed to do, it was not every day one got to see a slide of this length and width with twist and turns that would make anyone's stomach churn by merely looking at them. Even North would be impressed by the loops.

He smiled a predatory smile as he thought about its purpose, looking positively feral. Oh how he would enjoy this and more so his victory which was out of the question for him. There was no way, the Easter kangaroo could ever beat him at this game when he had the home advantage.

As though his thoughts had been a signal, did a hole next to him open up in the ground and out sprang a huge mass of blue fur. Jack couldn't help but snigger a little as his fellow Guardian, friend and rival set foot on the snow covered ground and began shaking his large hind legs in dismay as cold snow clung to his sensitive pads.

Jack looked up innocently, Bunny grumbling as he began to pluck out some of the more clingy icy remains. He gave Jack a glare not the least happy about the environment he had been forced to come to. But a challenge was a challenge and Bunnymund was, just like the mischievous winter spirit, not one to back up from these sorts of things.

The bunny let his stern gaze wander over the deserted white terrain, his ears twitching from one side to the next, making sure they truly were alone. When he was done he looked down at his junior, a smug expression returning on his muzzle. He had to give the kid some credit in finding a secluded area for their little match, although it hardly was to his liking that it had to be in the north (?) of Canada in November. Where it was cold and snowing.

"Just so you know, u' got no chance at beatin' me, mate.", Bunny said searching the closer areas for the sleighs they would need if they wanted their match to unfold.

"Don't be so sure about that.", Jack twirled his staff lazily, kicking up some powdery snow his presence had conjured up all those hours ago, while he had been making preparations and strapped the shepherd crook onto his back with a rope he had borrowed from North.

Bunny just made a noise in the back of his throat and heaved up one of the wooden sleighs that were leaning against a rock. Jack followed suit grabbing the smaller one out of the two and getting positioned at the edge of the icy slide, Bunnymund getting ready to his right.

The Easter spirit eyed him in a lucid and challenging way.

"So the rules are clear.", he stated, seating himself slowly and carefully on top of the sleigh, "No flying, no powers and no tricks." He drew out the last two words throwing the boy an accusing glare but Jack knew that it was also addressed towards the wind, which ruffled both their hair in amusement. Bunnymund had by now learned that if there was one friend that Jack could always count on, it was the wind that allowed him to fly.

Jack just mocked a salute, the likes he had seen soldiers do to their superior, while flying over military camps and grinned at the pooka who he admired and wanted to beat so badly at the same time. Bunny ignored that fact and Jack felt it was better he did not know. Things would only get awkward. Again.

He remembered how around two months ago he still had had problems to look his childhood hero in the eye for all the shame he had felt because he ruined the others' holiday. Twice even.

Pushing these feelings to the back of his mind in favor of his race and in order to even out their score of win and losses Jack held himself ready as Bunnymund counted down from three to zero.

As soon as the last number left the Pooka's mouth, did both spirits give their sleighs a mighty push and soon enough they both were rushing down the hill at neck-breaking speed. Jack gave an exhilarated cry nearly throwing up his arms. He loved the rush of the wind against his skin, how everything would swish past and how it would give him a sense of freedom few could relate to.

Bunnymund surely wasn't one of them his muzzle drawn into a frown unlike any Jack had seen to date. It looked as though the oversized Easter spirit expected to crash into a nearby tree. Jack just laughed at his rivals' anxiety and lay himself flat against the wood effectively taking the lead.

But Bunnymund would not give up that easily, not when Jack had told him that a scaredy cat like him, who couldn't approach North's sleigh without losing his cool, would never be able to beat him in a sleigh race where he could not count on his speed and tunnels. Before he knew it he had accepted and he nearly regretted it now. He'd always have taken a little of hurt pride over this bloody race!

It was just that Jack always had a way to incite him into doing the most stupid things he had ever done in his long life. He guessed that it was because the boy just knew what buttons to push because they simply were too different yet very much alike in a way that Bunny could sometimes not fully comprehend.

They were the exact opposites of each other, he the spring and Jack the winter. He brought hope and Jack brought the decline, although he tried his hardest to change that view. He had witnessed himself the happiness that Jack would bring with his snow and ice and he had to admit that he had taken a liking to snow fights even if only because they had been victorious over Pitch.

Jack was a prankster while he often considered himself as a resourceful and literate fighter. He had after all, given the earth it's near round shape and continents, stabilizing it that way. And that was certainly why Jack's taunts got to his more competing side. It infuriated him that someone as young as Jack; give or take his three hundred years of immortal life, would make fun of an elder like him.

But that was not exactly one of the thoughts that crossed Bunnys mind as he tried frantically to avoid any of the wooden death bringers in his path. Even though Jack had assured repeatedly that he would make sure their slide would be safe, he couldn't ignore that churning sensation in the pit of his stomach but he swore to himself that he would not be starting to communicate with his belly like North liked to do. Oh, no!

They were now nearing the end of the hill and indeed it looked like this time Jack would finally be able to gloat for months to come how he beat Bunny at something having to do with velocity which the Pooka was so proud of.

Jack whooped as he saw the end of the slide come into view, a plain clearing surrounded by naked trees and bushes. The kid standing on it came into view much too late for the both of them to realize.

Both Jack and Bunnymund screamed trying desperately to slow down while the child stood frozen on the spot, too shocked to move. Without intending to and because of the adrenaline rush Jack suddenly and violently unleashed his powers conjuring up a huge mass of white and fluffy snow but instead of helping them diminish the brunt of their impact it obscured their whole view.

Jack lost control of his sleigh and went tumbling off it. The rolling and spinning disoriented him until he finally came to a halt a few more feet away from the finish, coughing and spitting out snow. He blinked once, then twice getting the stuff out of his eyes when a loud high-pitched cry tore through the silence of the woods.

Jack whipped around and felt his blood run cold. Bunnymunds sleigh lay next to a large trunk, broken and next to it was the child, held protectively by the Pooka. Like a bolt of lightning Jack jumped and landed just before them, approaching with dread.

He could see Bunnys back-fur being bristled, his whole body shuddering as though he was freezing to death. The red-headed child was sniffing and wailing in between the large furry arms. As he wanted to touch them, Bunnymunds head flipped towards him, muzzle contorted in sheer agony.

"Dammit, Jack!", he shouted, shuddering again, more violently this time. His voice was so pinched Jack could literally feel the muscles in his companions' neck clenching and unclenching from the pain. Worried Jack hurriedly looked for what might be the source of the Pooka's discomfort when his eyes fell onto Bunny's right hind leg. A bruise would never have been visible through the thick blue fur but the simple fact that the ankle looked displaced was enough to tell him that the limp was most likely sprained or even worse broken.

All the while the boy continued to wail and now had also taken to trash around making it even worse for the Easter spirit.

"Hey, there.", Jack cooed quietly and hastily hoping that if he could at least calm down the child, he also might help Bunny get more comfortable in his predicament.

The freckled boy went still looking at Jack and for a moment the winter spirit felt overwhelmed that the kid actually did see him. He had just reacted out of habit, because he used to do the same thing with Pippa when they were younger and she would fall and cry because of a little scrape. He had hated seeing her cry.

Coming back from his short trip to memory lane, Jack rubbed away the tears the child had spilled and began talking: "Don't worry, everything will be fine."

Quickly he snatched a cookie he had stolen from North's workshop from his hoodie and held it into the boy's face. He knew the kid was still young enough for this to do the trick and to distract him from the ordeal Jack had caused.

"Here, I would like to share this with you. It's from Santa Claus. He gave it to me, so I could snack on it if I need to but I'd rather give it to you. What do you say?", he smiled encouragingly covering up very well the fact that the cookie had left it's place _without _North's knowledge.

Hesitantly did the child take the offered treat and slowly began gnawing at it while still in Bunnymund's clutches. Seeing that he was done, Jack turned towards his fellow Guardian, putting a hand on his back.

"Hey, you alright there?", he asked gulping down whatever shame wanted to make itself known inside him. It wouldn't help any with their situation, he needed to take action and not curl up into a ball of misery.

Bunnymund exhaled three times sharply through his nose before answering.

"I think I broke something.", he grunted, trying to get up with the child in his arms, who did not put up anymore resistance, half-eaten cookie still in his hands.

"I guess so.", Jack winced as the ankle did not seem to look any better.

Bunnymund threw him a sharp reproachful look.

"What were ya' thinkin'? I told ya' not to use your little stick! Or did ya' plan on cheatin' all along!", blue fur bristled menacingly and at the moment Jack was more than relieved that the Pooka was resting against the trunk instead of towering above him like he usually did when he was reprimanding him for his latest misfits. Jack went from white to purple in two seconds flat.

"I did not use my staff.", he pressed out between clenched teeth, hurt in his pride and mortified by what he had caused.

Bunnymund glared at him clearly not believing him: "Of course you must 'ave used it. It's the source of your power!"

Jack shook his head quickly getting dizzy from the motion and stopping it.

"No, it's not. It's just a conduct. Something that helps me channel my powers and allows me to ride the wind with more ease.", he fingered the wood on his back, the memory of Pitch breaking it apart still fresh in his mind. He knew it was a conduct but he still remembered how it had hurt when it was broken and how good it felt to mend it but it wasn't the source.

"The powers are just inside me.", he said, putting a hand to his chest as emphasis.

The Pooka just made a noise between a huff and a snarl and pointedly looked away. "Well, I can't use ma tunnels like this and we're in the middle of nowhere."

They both looked around the child watching them both interestedly the cookie long since devoured. It was when Jack's eyes found his sleigh at the other side of the clearing that a light bulb went off in his head.

* * *

"I tell ya' we're going in the wrong direction!", whined Bunny from the sleigh while Jack silently fumed, muscles aching and head pounding but he kept his mouth sealed shut for fear he'd say something he would later regret.

_Just remember, you got stuck in this situation because you messed up. So don't get angry at the oversized cottontail._

It was a mantra he had repeated to himself over the last few hours in which he had dragged Bunnymund and the little kid Anthony through the snow. While they sat on the sleigh he pulled with his staff as a makeshift cord, anchored on the metal rod connecting the two main wooden pieces of their transportation. It had been around noon when they had made their way towards what Anthony had told them was his home town Fort Nelson; now the sun was already beginning to set.

Jack did not stop in his track but readjusted his grip on the staff and threw an encouraging smile towards Anthony who seemed unusually happy and content for a child that had gotten lost on a trip with his class. Jack had underestimated him in age for his lack of size.

"I'll let the headman decide on that. So Anthony, we're still going in the right direction?", Jack asked finding great satisfaction in the Pooka's less than pleased expression.

The nine year old redhead hummed in confirmation as he took another glance at his compass and another on the map of Canada, courtesy of his father. Jack had to admit that he was fairly impressed with how much ease a boy as young as Anthony could handle something he himself found rather difficult. He always needed the wind to guide him in the right direction without it he was as good as lost.

Where had been this one time when the wind had been angry at him for not showing it any respect. He had been harshly dropped to the ground by a gust and had tried to get to Burgess on foot. Jack had to admit that in hindsight not knowing the difference between the continent America and Asia after travelling between both of them for more than one hundred years was pretty shameful but hey, he had gotten better at orientation… a litte.

"Well, my drop off was here.", Anthony mused his finger tracing a highway on the map, "Then I lost the others around here.", a circle drawn on a tiny spot in the middle of nowhere, "And we met around here." His finger tapped lightly at another blank spot on the road map.

He squinted his eyes at the road they went alongside, still hidden by undergrowth and trees and he consulted his map again, looked back at his compass and then back at the road.

"Yep, we are still going in the right direction!", he exclaimed excitedly, nearly bouncing up and down. The giddiness in the child's voice made Jack chuckle, Anthony was behaving as though he had gotten a big Christmas present.

Bunnymund snorted. It was not that he wasn't happy for the kid but the overall situation had him fed up: A sprained ankle, stuck in a cold environment and all because the annoying frostbite and his own stupid ego.

Anthony, who had warmed up to Jack from the beginning (wasn't he the reason why they were in this dilemma!), sensed the frustration in the Easter Bunny. Cautiously he turned around at an awkward angle and studied the Pooka's face with fascination and apprehension. Bunny's muzzle twitched rapidly, not used to this kind of attention even from kids.

Most of the time, he was in hiding even when he brought the eggs and hid them.

"What are ya' staring at?", he asked, sounding more like an offended brat rather than the hundreds years old being he was supposed to be. He regretted it once Anthony seemed to deflate and turned around again, huddling up dejectedly. It really wasn't the child's fault that he was in pain (he shot his most vicious glare at Jack's back) but the throbbing and burning was always there and hard to ignore.

They came to a sudden stop and Jack landed on his rear with a hard thump, heaving and a blush adorning his face.

"I'm sorry guys." A deep breath and a casual wave of a hand. "Just need a minute."

And that was it. It didn't matter that Jack had dragged them for the last three or four hours, it didn't matter that there was a kid with them, it didn't matter that the winter spirit did not intend to let any of this happen but Bunnymund was tired, aching and more furious than he had ever been. He stood up, favoring his left hind-leg and hopped next to Jack quickly. Before the winter spirit could even process what was going on, did he find himself a few inches off the ground, collar of his hoodie between two large paws and two threatening eyes boring into his surprised ones.

"Enough.", Bunny spat the word out, his voice quivering from pent up anger.

Anthony looked between the two frantically and fearfully knowing this kind of atmosphere from school when one of the kids wanted to pick a fight with another.

Jack just stared not having expected such an outburst from his companion, even with the situation at hand. Bunnymund shook Jack violently, trying his best to push away the searing pain going up his whole leg.

"I've had enough with ya' and your stupid ideas. We're only here because of your unnecessary need ta' show off! Because ya' always have to make a challenge out of everythin'!"

Jack scowled, ice blue eyes just as menacing as Bunnymund's posture, gripping hard at the others paw on his collar frost lacing the blue fur.

"You could have simply refused.", he retorted flatly, not turning away his face like he usually would do when he was given a sermon. He knew he screwed up bad this time but he tried to do something to redeem himself and bam, he had to get slapped into the face for it.

Bunny growled and roughly shoved the boy on the ground.

"The problems not that I accepted but that you're a friggin' time bomb! You can't control ya' powers and ya' endanger any and everyone around ya' just because it's funny for you!"

"I never asked for these powers!"

Jack's voice boomed as he shouted at Bunnymund, jumping up and pushing the Pooka with so much force that he went tumbling off a few more yards, yelping as his hind-leg moved too much. But he froze once he saw the snow whirling around Jack, engulfing him and giving him a terrifying aura. Bunnymund was proud to say that he was a valiant and unafraid fighter but in this moment Jack scared him to his very core.

Yet, instead of attacking Jack backed away, eyes wide and spooked. He looked at his hands and then to Bunny and then at Anthony but the snow did not stop its motion, instead gaining momentum and Bunny saw how Jack hugged his chest tightly as though trying to comfort himself.

His eyes were shut so tightly that a few little drops escaped between his lashes and Bunny was sure that there would be dark bruises left on the boy's arms from his fingers.

Slowly the snow calmed and drifted to the ground as Jack gave a shuddering breath, sinking to his knees.

Everything was still, even the air surrounding them. Carefully Bunny got upright and approached the teen like a wild animal that was ready to show its fangs and lash out. Anthony watched this unearthly scene unfold with baited breath.

When Bunny was sure nothing would happen he put a hand on the still teen and shook him lightly. His own anger had evaporated replaced by concern upon seeing Jack's horrified expression moments prior.

"Ya', alright mate?"

Jack lifted his head, exhaustion etched into his features, startling the Pooka a little but not commenting on it.

" 'm fine.", he mumbled, rolling his shoulder and shoving off the warm paw.

Bunnymund stayed put and lifted Jack's head by the chin making eye contact.

"Has that happened often?", he asked trying to let Jack understand that he was caring for him. Such an eruption of power from a seasonal spirit could become quite dangerous and Bunny dreaded that Jack had had to deal with this for as long as he already existed. Clamping down your power as a seasonal spirit often entailed great control or otherwise pain.

Jack studied his face for a second, searching for the caring he could hear and truly hoped _was_ there before shaking his head.

"Only recently. Ever since Pitch broke my staff and I had to put it back together with my power."

Bunny stiffened.

"Wait, Pitch broke your staff? Whe-when did that happen?" He was getting frantic. Hadn't they beaten the guy only a few months ago, how could he be back and more importantly why hadn't Jack…

"Easter Sunday.", Jack mumbled even quieter than before, eyes downcast.

The Pooka looked at him dumbstruck, his muzzle forming a perfect O.

It was a rather amusing sight but Jack simply didn't feel like smiling at it.

"It's become more and more difficult to control them. Whenever I get excited I freeze something by accident, whenever I get angry I am about to cause a blizzard.", he paused, getting up, "And I don't know what I should do about it. I always believed that my powers also came from my staff but it's only a conduct but since Pitch broke it, I dunno' it feels like something inside me broke."

He did not sound as upset as he should probably be but Bunnymund guessed that Jack was just trying to cover up his own insecurity by staying calm. Or maybe he did give the Guardian of fun too little credit.

Jack ran a hand through his hair looking at the darkening sky and then at their silent one-man audience.

"Sorry, I scared you.", Jack apologized getting a nod from Anthony who was just glad that the worst was over. "And sorry, I dragged both of you into such a mess. It wasn't my intention."

His blue eyes were giving Bunny a pleading look and there was something else the Pooka hadn't seen in a long time: The faint wish for reassurance and recognition. And suddenly Bunny had a faint intuition. Could this be what all of this, the teasing, all the challenges, the boy's sudden urges to help him whenever he could, were about: Jack wanting his acknowledgement?

He shook his head, ears flapping against his skull as he made his way to the sleigh to sit down and save his hind-leg.

"A mess, most definitely but ya' were right in one thing, mate." Jack blinked as Bunny finally sat down, ready to go on. "I always could have refused."

There was no triumph in those blue eyes as Jack nodded and went to retrieve his staff from the ground. He wanted to lighten the mood just a little, so he went and turned towards the one he shared his seat with.

"But without all this we never would have met ankle-biter number two, I guess."

Anthony both smiled and looked confused as to what the Pooka had said.

"Why just ankle-biter two?"

Both Bunny and Jack shared a glance smiling for the first time at each other since their unfortunate run in with the tree and so they went on towards the town telling their young guest about the little girl they had come to fondly nickname ankle-biter.

* * *

They watched both as Anthony ran over the snow covered lawn towards an open door to a white house where a woman in a blouse and skirt was waiting for him to fall into her arms.

Both Guardians smiled brightly as the mother hugged her boy, next to her stood a man who also went to embrace the both of them relief evident in his whole demeanor. Before being dragged into the warm house they saw Anthony waving at them vigorously. And then he was gone, just like that.

Bunnymund sighed in relief, happy that they had managed to bring the kid back home in one piece. The Pooka punched the boy beside him lightly in the shoulder, smirking at him approvingly. He was rewarded with the crack of a smile from his companion.

Jack was by now through fully exhausted, now sitting next to Bunny on the sleigh.

"You are really not angry anymore?"

Bunny's ears were erect in surprise until he waved it off. "Nah, a little maybe but not that much anyway."

Jack cocked an eyebrow, inspecting the hind-leg, which by now had healed enough for the Pooka to rest his weight on.

"But your leg…"

"It's gonna heal up fast."

Silence hung between them as they watched the moon, which was nothing more than a narrow crescent over the horizon.

"But you should have told us about ya' powers, you know? It can get quite dangerous."

Jack shifted uncomfortably muttering something under his breath that even Bunny with his super-sensitive hearing did not catch.

"What was that?", he asked playfully not thinking any of it.

"I did not want to worry you. You all have your duties already and I have handled myself pretty well up until now.", he tried to make it sound lightly but Bunny still caught that little hint of sadness in his voice.

Bunnymund rolled his eyes and ruffled the winter spirits white hair (maybe with a bit more force than necessary).

"We may have left you alone before but I promise ya' that from now on, you will never have ta' make it through something like that on your own again." Jack's blue eyes were huge and Bunny was able to see that child that had survived inside of Jack for all these centuries. That child that was looking up to every single one of them and that wanted to be shown it was appreciated amongst them.

"We're gonna' help you with your powers and that way you won't have to go through that pain again when clamp down on them. You're family now, so have a little trust in us too."

There was so much gratitude in those eyes that it made Bunnymund feel somewhat embarrassed. Covering it up with a cough he went to stand up, waving Jack to come close.

"Ready to go back?", he asked, ready to use his tunnels now that he trusted his paw to withstand the strain.

Jack smiled. "Whenever you are."

He was about to tap on the ground three times when suddenly Jack seemed to remember something.

"Wait, why do you think Anthony could see me?"

Bunnymund paused, seeming to think before shrugging simply. "Maybe you always had a believer you never knew of? Who knows."

Unable to come up with a better explanation Jack just nodded and followed Bunny down his tunnel towards the North Pole unaware of Anthony getting excited over having received a letter from his school pen-friend Jamie Bennet; eager to write about his encounter with Jack Frost and the Easter Bunny, the boy had written about in so many of his letters. He'd also have to tell him that the description both of them had given of ankle-biter one strangely fit Jamie's sister.


	4. Chapter 4 - Forgiveness

It was one of these days again. Sure, they all got into arguments from time to time, like Bunnymund with North whenever the other denied the importance of the other one's holiday, but this time it wasn't about the Australian bunny and the Russian gift bringer or about whether Easter held more importance than Christmas.

This time it was about one of Jack's latest wrongdoings. Tooth, Sandy and even the Easter Bunny flinched as North's booming voice managed to penetrate through the door of his workshop, roaring at a not any less angry winter spirit going by the name of Jack Frost.

"I told you a thousand times: We 'ave to protect the children and not endanger them any further!"

"Well and I told you a thousand times already that I am sorry! What do you want me to do? It's not like there is anything to be done anymore. I am just glad that I managed to prevent the worst to happen!"

Tooth looked worriedly at Sandy next to her, the Sandman shaking his head slowly. This was something their unofficial leader had to sort out, an argument in which they were not to interfere. Bunnymund began to tap his large feet irritably, looking worried.

If he could, he would get into that room and stand up for the kid for once. He had been there when it had happened. He knew it was an accident and he knew that Jack was right: He had done all in his might and it had luckily ended in a small instead of a big disaster.

Of course he had yelled plenty at the boy too and he had seen that Jack felt guilty enough for his face to turn ashen with nausea that the feeling caused him. He had stopped there. Jack had understood.

But it seemed as though North was once again not agreeing with the Easter spirit on a different level.

They were jostled out of their thoughts by an even louder yell, much louder than the ones before, positively startling yetis and elves alike and making them pause in what they were doing. Unfortunately the first part was lost to them because of the resonance of the walls surrounding the two occupants of the workshop.

"… someone as irresponsible as you!"

"Don't you dare go there! You know nothing about him!", Jack's voice was cold but the fury in it would probably have melted the biggest block of ice.

The remaining Guardians tried to strain their ears as the voices grew quiet, through fully confused as to what was now going on inside. There was a sudden silence and without a warning frost and ice exploded from inside the room. The wind howled, like a dying animal and in a flurry they saw the door crashing open, a boy with a blue hoodie shooting out on the corridor and disappearing through an open window leaving in his wake frosted ground and air so cold it hurt your lungs to breathe in.

Shocked the Guardians looked at each other before charging into North's sanctuary. There was not an inch without snow and ice covering the dark wooded walls and floor. Things on shelves had come tumbling down crashing upon impact with the ground and amidst the chaos stood North aghast. But what worried them more than his bewilderment was the shame that contorted his face.

This time North had overstepped his boundaries.

"Talk to us, mate. We gotta know what happened!", Bunny pressed urgently as Father Christmas trudged through the halls of his domain ignoring him and the other legends while shouting orders at some of the more panicky yetis.

He had been unapproachable after his fall out with Jack, refusing vehemently to answer their inquiries and inspecting the damage caused by their youngest recruit. A scowl adorned his face and made anyone coming across him shy away instinctively. It was hard to remember the last time when the Guardian of wonder had been this furious.

Having had enough, Tooth swished past him and forced North to come to a sudden halt in front of her. Feathers bristled menacingly she hovered at eye-level with the large man, blocking passage, her wings beating at a faster pace.

"Nicolas St. North, stop playing around and tell us what happened inside that room.", Tooth usually wasn't one to get angry but North's stubbornness and her worry for Jack made her edgy and both Sandy and Bunny recoiled slightly for they knew that when Tooth got mad it tended to end up pretty badly for whoever had gotten on her bad side…or stood in her way. She wasn't the guardian for something as important as memories for nothing.

For a tense moment both spirits looked each other in the eye, Bunnymund and Sandman inwardly preparing to step in if things got out of hand. To their surprise the Russian just sighed loudly, averting his gaze from the Fairy and almost gently shoved her aside with one of his big hands, going down the corridor reaching the fireplace and seating himself of the red armchairs that Jack so much loved to relax in, burying his head in his hands.

For a second their stunned gazes followed the man, Tooth even forgetting to be angry and cautiously approached him. North looked like someone carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders but he did not make any attempts at enlightening them about his ailment.

Having had enough with waiting and seeing a man as fierce and proud as North reduced to this, Sandy lightly tapped at the man's leg drawing his attention towards him. As North's eyes met with Sandy's stern ones, he nodded and sat up.

"So you gonna talk or not?", Bunny asked ears flat against his head. He did not want the others to see them twitching incessantly in irritation. This whole issue was eating away at his already short temper.

North inhaled, clenching and unclenching his jaw as though the words inside his move did him physical harm. After a short struggled he managed to breathe out:

"I have made terrible mistake."

Bunny gave a cry of exasperation. "Oh, really now? Yeah, and I was sure everythin' was dandy!"

Both Tooth and Sandman threw him a look, showing that although they understood his annoyance and shared his feelings it wasn't helping the issue any. But North seemed not to have heard him and if he did he covered it up pretty well. He stood from the chair and began pacing around giving off an irritable vibe.

"I was so angry. He never listens and he is not even trying to make change."

His pacing became more frantic as his talk became more of a rant:

"He is not controllable, hot headed, why Manny made him winter spirit I don't understand and causes so much trouble. I menya vsegda nada smotret esli on koye chto-to…*"

"Uhm, North, language.", Tooth interjected, smiling tentatively actually not wanting to interrupt North when he was trying to vent his frustration in another way than ignoring them. Although they all were many hundred years old, that did not mean they were masters of all languages, even if they understood the basic of most of them, Tooth being the exception for she knew all languages fluently. Still she was very conscious of both Bunny's and Sandy's looks of confusion.

The man stopped, brows furrowed in confusion until he realized what he had been doing. A hand wiped at his face before stroking at his long white beard. For a while he did not say anything and it did not seem like he would begin anew any time soon.

As Bunnymund was about to blow off some steam verbally, Sandy began to conjure different images above his head in quick succession, trying desperately to convey a message. For someone still relatively new like Jack, who'd only been around them for about seven months now, it would have been too quick to follow but for the older Guardians it was no problem to keep up with the insane pace of the pictures: a snowflake for Jack, clouds with thunderbolts as a sign of trouble, a hunched over form for representing North at the moment, a boiling pot for arising anger and a crying child for sadness and finally a question mark.

It was not hard to understand.

Again that ashamed look haunted the man clad in red. Having had enough with the pity party, Bunnymund crossed the room till he was "face to face" with his friend and comrade, straightening the most he could with the difference in height.

"I know ya' like that kid and I sure as hell know that he can be a real pain in the arse but what happened wasn't his fault, mate.", he stopped shaking his head a bit; "Okay, so maybe it was kinda his fault but he's already understood he made a mistake. Heck, I shouted at him way before ya' did. The question is, what did ya' say to him to upset him this much?"

He waved his paws around making them look at the bit of frost that still decorated walls and the floor but was slowly melting away.

North looked at each of their faces. His guilt just tripled as he told them.

"_I told you a thousand times: We 'ave to protect the children and not endanger them any further!"_

"_Well and I told you a thousand times already that I am sorry! What do you want me to do? It's not like there is anything to be done anymore. I am just glad that I managed to prevent the worst to happen!"_

_Jack was glaring openly at him, blue eyes ablaze, holding his staff with his right while his left hand clenched in anger. The young Guardian had done something so stupid North couldn't even put it into words and now he was standing here arguing with him like he would with a little kid._

_In the last few months after having defeated Pitch Black and getting accustomed with his new life, Jack had once again fully returned to his mischievous ways. It was something North would enjoy from time to time (especially if it involved a certain bunny) but this time the boy he often saw as his own son had gone too far._

_He'd been reckless and because of this recklessness he had not only endangered Bunnymund but a child as well and North could not let it slip. Jack was a Guardian now and as such he had to conduct like one even if he was representing fun._

_He kneaded the bridge of his nose with his fingers looking at the young adult. That was as what he wanted to see him at the moment. Not the child Jack but the adult Jack, the one who should simply _know _that he had done something wrong._

"_Jack, this is serious. It can't be ignored.", he repeated making emphasis on what might happen if he let his powers get out of control again._

_To his great displeasure he found the boy looking anywhere but him, boredom clearly etched on his face. He seemingly was done talking._

_North felt anger surge inside of him. All he did was care about the boy's well-being and he still refused to take him seriously after all the time they had spent together. He stomped one of his foots on the ground startling the youngster._

"_Just what kind of father does not have enough control of his children for them to turn into someone as irresponsible as you?"_

_He did not know why he had shouted these words. Maybe because he was angry with himself for not having enough authority over Jack. Maybe because Jack did not acknowledge his efforts in trying to be like family for him. _

_Anyway, these words got him a reaction albeit not the one he would have wished for. _

_The air around them suddenly grew cold. Jack was looking at the window now, a look crossing his face that North could not remember ever seeing on anyone. _

"_Don't you dare go there! You know nothing about him!", he hadn't shouted as loud as him but his voice was still loud enough to be heard outside._

_What came next, was something North was sure he would probably regret for the rest of his life but he was unable to stop the words coming from his mouth:_

"_Maybe, but no father could ever be proud of you."_

_He had intended to say "of what you did" but it was too late already as he realized in horror. Jack's eyes met his and what North saw broke his heart. The boy's eyes were wide, filled with sadness and desperation. He looked as if he had seen Sandy being shot by Pitch all over again. Then the next second blinding rage contorted his features and snow and ice burst into every direction._

There was silence as North finished head once again cradled in his hands.

Bunnymund was the first to voice his thoughts: "Oh, sweet mother of…Please, tell that this is a joke."

He turned around a paw covering his furry face. Tooth and Sandy both seemed unable to respond. If anyone ever would have asked, they would have told them that North was a good man through and through who'd never hurt his friends. Well, intentionally at least.

North was quite aware that with that simple sentence he might have shattered most of the hard earned trust he and the other Guardians had gained from the boy over this short time that they had spent together. And he had thought he was done crying after Sandy's death, but right now he felt like going at it again.

Tooth reached out towards his shoulder and squeezed it gently making the man look up at her. There was some sort of silent understanding as to why he had been so angry but her gaze was firm as she spoke.

"You have to apologize.", there was no room for arguments. Has he turned towards the other two, he just saw them nodding back at him. North sighed once again and stood up.

"You are right.", his eyes fell on the globe, "But where to look?"

"It might be safe to guess that he's at home.", Bunny retorted. The limp wasn't as evident as a few hours ago but he still favored his left leg."Since we're done here, I'll be on my way. See you."

And with a tapping of his slightly injured paw he disappeared into a hole in the ground towards his warm warren. A few minutes later Tooth and Sandy also bid their good-bye and left the man alone in the round room. As he got ready to go meet with Jack, he just hoped that the spirit would not freeze him upon sight.

As he came up behind a tree, North couldn't help but think that maybe Bunny knew the boy too well. It was early November, so the chill Jack had brought with him was not unusual for the town. A thin coating of ice was covering the small lake, the hooded figure sitting at its shore breaking the ice with the crooked end of his staff and refreezing the spot, like a wound being torn open and healing in fast forward.

North went on and came to a halt next to his fellow Guardian awed at how the moon made the floral frost patterns Jack had conjured look even more splendid. Jack stopped cracking the ice but avoided looking at the man next to him.

The silence stung both of them but both were too stubborn to make the first step, yet both feeling they ought to. A mumble left Jack's mouth and North turned towards the boy who still hid his face behind blue fabric.

"I'm sorry for Bunnymund and the kid hitting that tree. I never would have thought our ice-sledding-race would get out of hand like this."

North stared ahead, feeling relieved he had not been the first one to have to break the silence and feeling sheepish for it at the same time. He was the older one; he ought to make the first step in this situation and not Jack.

Crossing his arms a bit he nodded and finally managed to pry his eyes from the reflective surface and towards the teenaged adult.

"It's good you came to realize that.", Jack seemed to deflate some more but he looked up surprised at what came next, "But that's not the only reason why I come. I came to apologize too."

He smiled amicably at the boy, who studied his face with wide eyes like a child's.

"I was angry and I said things that I do not think or believe in.", he said honestly. Jack couldn't possibly know what he had thought to say at the time but it was beside the point. Bunny had been right: Jack was already aware of what he had done and he had apologized – even to the one who had had nothing to do with the incident directly.

Flustered Jack began digging up some dirt on the ground with the end of his staff. He was not so good with apologies, no matter if he had to ask for them or was being given one.

They just stayed there for a few more moments, the tension not as bad as it had been before.

"You were right when you said my father would not be proud of me.", Jack said in a small voice as North listened.

Jack exhaled and pulled his hood back, revealing his melancholic face.

"He was not a bad man. He was strong and caring and he loved me and my sister very much, I know that, but he was never really proud of his trickster son who'd spend his time playing with the kids instead of properly going out to hunt. Out of the two of us he loved Pippa the most."

There was no resentment or even jalousie as he told North about his past but the hurt still was evident.

"Pippa was always fulfilling her chores properly, never got into trouble with the other people in our village unlike Jackson Overland Frost. It didn't bother me though. My mother understood me somewhat, maybe because I got that mischievous streak from her."

He smiled a little as he thought about how she made sure he and Pippa took good care of their teeth. He sighed and North couldn't help but think that it was sad that Jack never got the chance to prove otherwise.

Ignorant of the larger man's thoughts Jack just went on, laughing mirthlessly:

"It's ironic that the only thing that he probably ever was proud of was me saving my sister by breaking through the ice myself." _And drowning in the process._ He added silently in his mind.

North put one of his large hands on Jack's shoulders and looked deep into those blue eyes.

"It is tragic, that you had to lose your life and I do not know about your father but I tell you: I am proud of person you are even if you make mistake. We all do.", he said kindly, still holding the boy's shoulder.

Even if they were still a long way to go and even if there still would be days where they would not see eye to eye, they knew that they and their little group was the closest they could get to a caring family.

And both of them appreciated that idea.

* " And I always have to look if he did someth…"


	5. Chapter 5 - Sensitive

It wasn't necessarily a bad feeling; rather it was a kind of guilt Jack felt whenever the topic Pitch was brought up by his fellow Guardians. And still Jack couldn't tell them. He couldn't tell them because they probably wouldn't understand and even if they were family now, Jack just wasn't sure if they wouldn't feel betrayed by the sympathy that still lingered inside of him for the Boogeyman.

He was not blinded though. He knew Pitch had done terrible things, unforgivable things and that he had hurt a lot of people and children out of selfishness. That didn't change the fact that he had done it out of loneliness, out of spite, out of an utter need to show that he still existed and that fear held some value, that it was even necessary so that children could still live having fun without getting out of hand and endangering themselves.

Jack had grinned crookedly at him when the Night Mares chased after their creator, for a short while he had even been convinced that it was what the spirit deserved and he still wanted to believe it but lately he found himself questioning his own thinking.

Because unlike the rest of the Guardians, Jack knew exactly how desperate one could become when no one acknowledged your presence. For all he knew it could have been him, who threatened the children and Pitch helping the Guardians. Jack shook his head at that thought. He wasn't sure about the former but he knew that Pitch would have refused to help and instead would go with the opposition just to anger the Guardians. He knew that only a few more centuries of loneliness and he truly might have turned into someone as dark and twisted as Pitch.

That prospect was scary and gave him Goosebumps but he knew that it was out of the question now because he had friends, a family and true believers (their numbers growing with each year) who gave him support. He got the affirmation that he was real and that he had a purpose and it felt good. It was fulfilling.

Yet he couldn't shake the feeling that he simply understood Pitch. He found his own logic so twisted it made him sick. Whenever Tooth or Bunny brought up the dark spirit it would be with spite. North would scowl darkly silencing everyone and making them drop the topic. Sandy would stay as silent as ever, a somber look on his face. Pitch had tried to kill him and it was only thanks to Jamie's hopes and dreams that the Sandman hadn't disappeared altogether. Jack on the other hand would try his best to go along with it but it was becoming more forced and difficult with each day.

He did not want to feel this kind of pity and sympathy, not for Pitch, not ever.

So it was on a night like this, when his own thoughts were troubling him, when he felt consumed by unnecessary guilt that he would sit on the roof of North's home watching the sky and making a light snow blanketing the already pure white environment. The wind tousled his white hair softly and Jack relaxed for a moment. He felt tense lately, high-strung and he could only guess why. His sour mood turned into a foul one, the massive increase of snow as a testimony to it.

With a start Jack felt another presence close to him and turned around, staff clasped tightly in his hand. He let out a soft laugh once he saw who it was. "Good to see you back so soon."

Sandy floated towards him, the golden cloud of sand he was floating on glowing softly and warmly in the darkness around them. The small man came to sit next to him a questioning look on his face, his sand conjuring up an image of the roof they were currently sitting on. Jack understood the message with ease.

"Just trying to clear my head.", he replied, cracking a grin for his friend. Sandy was the last one he wanted to burden with his problem. It would be unfair of Jack to ask him to understand his sympathy for the man who had shot him.

Sandman nodded slowly clearly not satisfied with the answer and Jack's late behavior in general. He had noticed for a while already that something was keeping Jack on edge, that it was making their young recruit nervous and pensive. Sandy did not like Jack to be this quiet and back-drawn.

And he could feel the apprehension. Not the aggressive kind Jack had emanated the first time he had been brought to the Pole to be initiated as a Guardian. It was more like the sort of apprehension people tended to give off when they were unsure about something.

Although he did not bring it up, Sandy had the inkling of an idea what it was about if the troubled dreams of loneliness and hopelessness Jack tended to have from time were anything to go by. Interestingly they would always follow after an argument concerning Pitch Black.

Patting him on his arm Sandy drew Jack's attention and willed the sand to form into the image of the Nightmare King. Jack stared wide eyed and shocked before quickly turning away from the Guardian of dreams and reaching for his hood in shame. But as soon as he felt the worn fabric he let go of it feeling stupid for his reflexive action. He was found out and hiding his face wouldn't change that fact anymore. Still his fingers found their way to the white strings of his hoodie playing absentmindedly with them.

"How…did you find out?", he asked eyes still looking anywhere but at the golden face. As the golden sand formed a sleeping figure, Jack understood, nodding courtly, lips drawn into a thin line. It wasn't Sandy's fault really but Jack still was miffed at the prospect of giving away his thoughts through dream images unwillingly. But he guessed that without Sandy he also would not have been able to sleep through as many nights as he did now and for that he was incredibly grateful.

Jack risked a glance and was surprised to find his friend looking at him expectantly, willing him to elaborate. Still the stone-face Sandman had put on was not reassuring in the least.

Jack groaned silently and put his face into his hands embarrassed, massaging his temples with his thumbs. He really wanted to make Sandy understand, to voice the thoughts he had had for the last five years yet he struggled for the right words. Thankfully Sandy did not push him and instead waited for Jack until he was ready, creating sand replicas of the snowflakes that softly drifted through the cold air.

Finally, after what seemed like incredibly long time, Jack's small voice broke the awkward silence.

"I understand Pitch.", was all he said before looking at Sandy with deep sorrowful eyes.

"I guess, I always will understand him, whether I want to or not, whether he deserves it or not."

He stopped, taking in a long breath. He hoped he would make it sound right and not like some sort of sermon. This time the Sandman's expression was not apathetic but curious and it gave Jack enough confidence to gain control over his vocal cords again.

"It's just… he and I, we both know what it is like to exist and yet not to be present. To be nothing more than a shadow and no matter how hard you try, or for how long, no one acknowledging you even if they were able to."

He paused, breathing in and out, closing his eyes and opening them again. The moon was partly visible through the snow and clouds bathing everything in a ghostly light.

"I know what he did. I could never forget, not like any of us could. It's not like I have forgiven him. I just can't feel true resentment towards him anymore like when we just won the battle against him. It doesn't feel right anymore and I… I just feel pity, really."

Jack had come to look the opposite direction, unable to face Sandy when he was pouring out his heart like this. He felt disgusted at himself for being so weak and truthfully frightened that Sandy might not understand that he might not even want to. Slowly his hand sneaked to his chest clasping a fistful of the blue shirt.

"For all I know, I could have turned out like him, if it weren't for you guys or Jamie."

The breath he released after holding it in unknowingly was shaky. A sudden tingling noise caught him off guard and he turned to see Sandy bobbing up and down slightly and shaking in silent laughter. It came so unexpected that Jack was positively dumb-struck, gaping like a mindless guppy.

Sandy wiped at one of his corners of his eyes facing the young Guardian with a bright and gentle smile shaking his head as though mocking him for saying something silly. Jack, still shell shocked watched as Sandy brought a small hand to the spot where his own hand had rested moments ago, the spirit patting it fondly while his sand formed the image of a young man who was ruffling the hair of a child next to him.

"_You have a heart too kind to turn into someone like Pitch."_

How Sandy managed to get across such messages with so little means would always remain a mystery to Jack but he grasped the meaning of his friend's actions without problem. Finally able to face whatever might come Jack truly looked at Sandy and found the man giving him an appreciative look, for being the caring man Jack was on the inside. Relief washed over him. Sandy was not angry at him, not in the least and that silent acceptance made him so much happier than any soothing words could have.

A few tears pricked at his blue eyes and Jack let a smile of his own grace his lips. They sat in silence until the night was not as dark anymore. There was no awkwardness between them and Jack was elated by the thought that there was still someone to understand his compassion. Even if it went out towards people others would never even consider worth of it.


	6. Chapter 6 - Confirmation

Jack knew that he was here out of curiosity and it was highly unusual for him. The candles in the room cast a soft shine on the yellow pages of the old leather bound book that looked as though it was about to turn to dust if he so much as touched it the wrong way. Cautiously he turned over the page, wincing slightly when his touch made a little frost appear at the edge of the paper. Getting the book wet wouldn't do it any good but he still wanted to know so badly what secrets were hidden inside it.

Jack almost jumped out of his skin when he heard a yeti waddle down the corridor with heavy footsteps. He held his breath until he was sure he was alone again. He grew a violent shade of violet as he blushed in anger and embarrassment. The worst was he didn't even know why he was so adamant to keep it a secret that he was currently pilfering through books as old as the Man in the Moon was supposed to be.

Exhaling silently he went back to work, scrutinizing the oddly shaped words that looked like handwriting. Unable to decipher that bloody scrawl, he slammed the book shut with more force than he had intended to. He jerked, eyes closed as though he was expecting the ceiling to come down on his head but when nothing of the sort happened he opened them slowly and relaxed somewhat.

Annoyed he heaved the huge volume, at least fifteen inches thick, with both his arms and tried his best to reach the ladder next to the bookshelves reaching just under the ceiling. If this book were to fall on the floor Jack wasn't sure if he wouldn't set off an avalanche by accident. This book was way too heavy for its own good!

With a grunt he took the first step of the ladder, holding onto it with one hand while the other quivered violently under the book's weight. Slowly he continued his ascent, his arm beginning to burn from the effort of not letting that stupid book slip out of his grasp.

With what felt like the last of his strength he managed to get to the last step, reach over to the left side and push the book back to its designated place. Wiping his forehead for sweat that wasn't there (his skin was way too cold for that) he wanted to turn around and look for another tome that might be more helpful… when he slipped.

Jack gasped as gravity took a hold of him, too quick for him to realize and tumbled towards the hard wooden floor. But instead of the old oak connecting with the back of his head he felt something firm but soft catch him. Surprised he looked up to see what it was and froze, eyes wide and mouth opened in a perfect o-shape.

The person chuckled delightedly and set him back down on his feet, ruffling his hair affectionately, and the blush that had been gone returned full force. Really, after nearly twenty-five years he would have thought that he would drop that habit of making him feel like some child. But in all honesty, he really didn't want it any other way, so he kept his mouth shut and appreciated the gesture.

"I see you have looked up a lots of me books.", North chuckled merrily, looking at the books strewn out all over the floor of his library. Jack couldn't help but duck his head in self-consciousness at what mess he had created in less than an hour. But the Russian just gave him one of those big smiles again and inspected the book that now rested on the shelves.

His eyes shone in quiet amusement as he summed up what Jack had discovered a few minutes ago: "You never had chance deciphering that. Ombric was wise man but write properly he could not. Even Katherine complained."

Jack scratched his head absentmindedly, grabbing his staff he had discarded somewhere near to the book-rest, adorned with the story of North's first battle against the Nightmare King, Pitch.

"Yeah, it was illegible. I never thought…", he stopped in his circling the room and looked at North with some sort of surprise, "Wait, you weren't one who wrote these books?"

North's blue eyes grew as big as on the day when he had told Jack about his own center, comically bulging before he guffawed, holding his belly and confusing Jack to no end with his actions. Jack made himself smaller, still holding onto that hope that apart from North no one else would come barging in. He still couldn't figure out how the bulky man had managed to approach him without him noticing nut he guessed that North just had a lot of practice with delivering gifts to sleeping children, who could wake up from every little sound. Although, that one evening when they had visited Jamie's room, wasn't by far his best performance at stealth. Not that Jack would dare to voice that out loud.

It took the Spirit of Christmas a while until he had calmed down but once he did, and after wiping away a few stray tears in the corners of his eyes, he explained: "I have written no book in here, Jack. They all are present from Ombric."

Feeling that this was going to be interesting and having had enough with his fruitless search, Jack swung onto the crook of his staff and made himself comfortable. If there was something he did enjoy greatly, even after all these years spent with the other Guardians, it was listening to the stories they had to tell and this one he did not know yet.

"Who's Ombric?", he asked a smirk on his face.

North bent down retrieving the books on the floor and putting them back on the shelves. Jack's grin turned from sly to sheepish at the action, feeling that he should be the one to take care of it but he was comfortable right now and North did not seem to mind, so Jack stayed where he was stifling a yawn and ignoring how tired he actually was.

"Ombric was my teacher.", North replied, a distant but definitely happy look on his face as his hand stroked the back of the last, small book he had put back in place, "He was very sage man, indeed. The last survivor of Atlantis."

Jack, who had had his head propped on his crossed arms, suddenly perked up.

"You mean the ancient myth? But, but I thought it was just something people made up! So it's real?"

The excitement on his face amused North more than the way the question had been asked.

"Oh, real it was, Jack. Just like us. But the city is lost now, with its knowledge. Ombric was the last left to write down its history and achievements."

He pointed a finger at the heavy book that had put the boy in so much trouble.

"What you were holding, is possibly the last proof of its existence."

Jack paled, staring at him like he'd been slapped. Now the prospect of letting the book fall and causing an avalanche wasn't as scary as the prospect of reducing something so unique to dust. He gulped heavily and again North laughed at him. Peeved he shot the older man a glare but it just seemed to bounce off of him.

"You do not worry.", North gave him a friendly wink and studied every title of every book the boy had withdrawn from the shelves, "But tell me, Jack, what is it that you were looking for?"

Suddenly the atmosphere grew tense and the boy's blue eyes grew a bit more distant. North knew that look and he had come to like it not one bit. It always made evident that the boy had some sort of issue on his mind, be it a big or a small one, and it always took away that smile that was so typically Jack. And a Jack that was not smiling was something that he simply could not stand to see.

Jack unconsciously hugged his chest and looked at the glass window full of pictures of children playing in the snow and running around. It was only thanks to the gentle rays of the moon that he could admire this sort of craftsmanship in the dead of night.

He sighed, looking at North with eyes pleading for understanding: "I wanted confirmation."

Unable to follow, North just cocked his head, eyes questioning. Jack bit his bottom lip, hesitating to go on. What he was going say, would probably sound outrageous to the Guardian of wonder but after two and a half decades Jack was fairly sure that any of them would understand his concerns.

"I wanted to see if you know; if MiM was truly there.", he jerked his head towards the bright window, cursing himself for not knowing how to voice the sheer amount of questions running rampant in his mind.

At North's incredulous look he instinctively shook his head and went on before the other could cut him off: "I know that sounds crazy. It's just… it's been twenty-five years, North. Not counting the other three hundred years that he never talked to me. It just makes me wonder sometimes, if he's really there or if I did only imagine all these things."

He paused, composing himself but the hurt and disappointment still stung. He could feel tears in the corners of his eyes, although he knew that they were pointless. It wasn't even that he was upset or miserable but that uncertainty was just eating away at him slowly. It just seemed he had held it in for too long and that it simply needed to get out.

"I _know _he's there, I _know_ he's saved me, I _know_ that he once talked to me but still… That was so long ago and I don't know, maybe I was expecting too much but I had hoped that by any chance…"

He broke off, unable to continue without letting it all out at once and he did not want that. He did not want to cry over something so silly in front of his friend.

North just looked at the man in front of him and thought back at the times that Manny had addressed him, the one time he had even seen the man nearly in person and he guessed that maybe if not entirely, he still could understand a little bit of the disappointment and helplessness the young Guardian felt.

Slowly he dragged a chair next to the place where Jack had his staff planted and sat down. Jack eyed him curiously and waited what the other was going to do.

"You know, these books are not very entertaining. If you want, I can tell you story.", North offered, cheer in his voice.

He would not tell Jack any pretty lies. He and the other Guardians also had noticed MiM's lack of communication with Jack, also wondering if something was amiss between the two but it did not add up with the concern MiM ocassionally displayed for the boy and they became witness of. He did not know what had MiM not replying to Jack but the least he could now was to distract the winter spirit a little.

Jack smiled at him, expression close to thankful: "Yeah, I'd prefer to hear it from you."

North's eyes were bright in the lights of the candles as he copied Jack's expression: "Then I shall tell you what Ombric used to tell me."

He motioned towards the lectern and instantly began to tell Jack the beginning of his story: "When I was still young lad and renowned thief, there used to be a village called Santoff Clausen."

Jack smiled as he caught the hint at maybe how North got his official title but did not interrupt.

"The village had strong magical barrier. Some I used for the Pole but they are not as strong as Ombric's. Ombric was founder of Santoff Clausen. Strong man, powerful, but very old. He created village for children to live in happily. One day that happiness was threatened. An old evil came back to life."

Jack held his breath and he had the inkling of an idea what name would come up next. He was not let down.

"The Nightmare King, Pitch Black, had awakened after many, many years of being cast into the shadows.", North waved his hands in a big gestured to accentuate the dramatical effect, watching Jack, who nodded in response, far too engrossed with the story to notice that he was looking at North like one of those children, who couldn't hold in their excitement. It made North's heart burst with affection and relief, glad that his plan was working out.

"Man in Moon knew he needed help and so he sent to me little moonbeam to tell me where Santoff Clausen was. It whispered in my ear, telling me about riches and fortunes that I would never have dreamed of. So I rode off towards north and made way into the village."

"Once me and my man arrived, there was a beautiful woman. And with her hands she conjured up rubies and other precious stones. My fellow thieves took gems and turned into elves and gnomes."

"Woah, woah, woah, wait! Are you telling me our little friends are actually old, cursed bandits?", Jack interrupted, always having wanted to know the origin of the quirky little troublemakers he loved to tease so much. Well, except Phil and Bunnymund that is.

North blinked and suddenly understanding dawned on his features: "Well, yes of course."

Jack burst into a laughing fit, still managing to balance on his staff to North's great surprise.

"That's better than I ever would have imagined."

North just grinned through his bushy beard: " It is indeed. As I said when we arrived we were offered jewels but I refused. I had heard scream of children and went further into forest. There was a large tree and an even larger bear was attacking it, scaring children who were hiding inside. I managed to fend off the creature. It was bear that was supposed to protect the village but Pitch controlled him."

"I was injured but people and wizard helped me get better. I became friends with Katherine, she was first friend I ever had. Ombric taught me magic."

Once again, Jack's face lit up as he understood yet another mystery as to how North managed to make his toys but he kept his mouth firmly shut, not wanting to interrupt North yet again. North just talked away happily.

"He told me about Golden Age, when all dreams were possible and people travelled from galaxy to galaxy."

If Jack's eyes had been shining before they were now glistening like a bonfire and North found himself pleased with his work.

"It was beautiful time. People lived in peace. But that peace had always been threatened by the Fearlings. They were locked away in prison, far away from the people. One man that was to stand guard until the end of eternity; that man was great hero and General, Kozmotis Pitchiner."

Jack stared, eyes wide but not in awe but in some sort of silent horror and for the first time in years North wished he was Sandy, who knew better than any of them what was going on in Jack's head most of the time. Right now, he was clueless, not understanding what had the boy so worked up.

Trying to not make him think too much about it, he went on, but he could feel the troubled feelings coming off of Jack in waves and that was making a bit hard to concentrate on his story-telling but he tried nonetheless.

"Kozmotis Pitchiner had been away from his daughter from a long time when he finally was overwhelmed by his desire to see her again. The Fearlings tempted him and managed to trick the man. They made him believe little daughter was with them. So he set them free to save her but the Fearlings consumed him and Pitch Black was born."

By now North was not sure if he should just stop altogether. Jack looked positively pale and shaken, something North had not expected to happen. Just what was it that had the boy so appalled? Unable to come up with a different solution North just continued, hoping that eventually that expression would go away. But he proceeded with caution, coming to the conclusion that cutting out the part of the story where Ombric had told about the destruction Pitch left in his wake, would be the best thing to do.

"At the same time there was a family, the Tsar family of Lunanoff. They were good and righteous people and they had a son. Pitch wanted him as Nightmare Prince. So the Lunanoff fled in an aircraft that could turn into a moon, if they need hide."

Jack followed his gaze towards the window where the moonlight still was visible. Again Jack's mouth fell open and some of that horror he had had on his face was slowly being replaced by wonder. It made North a little less nervous about the whole issue.

"Still, Pitch found them. They fought long and hard but eventually it was the young Tsar's bodyguard, Nightlight, who saved them with small diamond dagger. But parents of young Tsar were lost. As years went by, he grew up and watched children from earth. That was when he decided to protect them and began to choose Guardians."

North knew he had wanted to add some more that there were still things to be told but the few tears sliding down Jack's face as he looked at the window, no, the rays of moonlights clenched his throat shut. Tear after tear rolled down to his chin and landed on the floor with a soft splash.

The silence dragged on until eventually Jack said: "It must have been lonely."

North stared at him, got up and opened his arms wide, smiling encouragingly. The boy looked at him, eyes red and puffy and all but threw himself into the embrace the man offered him.

Jack did not whimper or sniffle. Instead he just hugged North until the tears were dried.


	7. Chapter 7 - Helpless

Sophie steered the car into an empty place on the parking lot and swiftly turned off the engine. For a moment she waited, staring ahead at the brick building closed off behind a silvery and intricate gate.

Her breath condensated inside the car. It wasn't that much of a surprise, seeing with whom she was travelling.

Turning around and leaning an arm over the back rest of her seat she looked at the person sitting next to her in the passenger's seat. Her green eyes shone bright with worry and bottled up emotions.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Of course."

"He might not recognize you."

"I know that."

For a split second the woman with graying hair seemed hesitant before adding: "He might not see you."

That thought pained both of them in so many different ways, it would be impossible to name all of them. As he did not answer she retreated back into her seat dejectedly. To her surprise a cold hand reached for her warm one and she looked up again to see Jack smiling back at her like Jamie used to when they still were children and older boys picked on her.

It was a look of protectiveness and adoration. One she missed dearly and one she did not expect to come from an immortal spirit who in comparison to her had been left untouched by time for the last fifty years and all the other centuries before that.

"You remember what we discussed?"

He threw her a look that clearly said "Are you kidding me?", making her crack a smile despite the situation. He too smiled happy to have lightened her somber mood the tiniest bit.

"Yeah, I remember.", he replied lazily, letting one hand glide over the wood of his staff they had to fit into the car at an odd angle, "No getting in and no frost stunts."

Sophie nodded and stepped out of her old grass-green car together with Jack Frost who tugged at his staff a few seconds, fuming silently as it took longer than expected to wrestle it free. Sophie watched quietly, amused by his antics.

"I've been curious.", she said casually, pushing down on the button that closed the doors, "Why did you agree to drive with me anyway?"

Jack stared, thinking before slamming the door shut and replying nonchalantly: "I wanted to know what it was like, since Andrew wouldn't shut up about how great it was to drive a car – after he got his license, you know." He huffed going through his snow white hair with his free hand. Sophie noted that the spirit looked a bit more disheveled than usually after their ride.

"But no way I get into one of these "match-boxes" again. I'll ride on wind, thank you very much."

The childish pout on his face made Sophie laugh louder and harder than she had in quite some time.

* * *

Jack twirled his staff impatiently; a habit Tooth reprimanded him for nearly every day now. Usually that would not stop him from doing it but since it was Tooth he had made an effort in stopping it - at least when she was around. Well, how goes the saying: What the eye does not see, the heartdoes not grieve over.

But right at this moment Jack knew he would not be able to stop even if Tooth was there to tell him to. His stomach felt like it wanted to curl up his throat from all the anxiety that assaulted him. All he had wanted to do a week ago was to visit both Sophie and Jamie like he used to when his duties as a Guardian hadn't cut in so much. He never would have guessed it would come down to this when he found Sophie all alone re-reading a brochure.

The garden was wide with trees surrounding the center void of any foliage, trees and bushes. The trees looked innocent and even beautiful but it did not change that fact that their actual purpose was to act as an unscalable fence. No way to get in and no way to get. The wire a few feet behind the thick trunks made sure of that.

Jack startled as a small snowflake drifted in front of his eyes and then another and another. Quickly he had his shepherd crook in a vice grip, eyes shut tightly in concentration as he clamped down on his powers. He breathed in and out, just like Bunnymund had taught him.

If he let go and made it snow too much now then their whole plan might get jeopardized and Jamie would be out of reach for him for another few weeks. Sophie's voice rang in his head reminding him of just why he couldn't make it snow, why he couldn't just get into his friend's room or the complex in general.

The people inside might react spooked to a sudden change in their environment. Jamie might be allowed to go outside for fear of falling ill in his condition, or rather more ill than he already was.

Jack let out a quick whistle, sounding like a boiling tea-cattle and wiped at his damp forehead. It surprised and terrified him how strong he had grown in his comparatively short time as a Guardian. The more children believed in him, the stronger his powers got.

He remembered how before he became a Guardian how before Pitch Black, the Nightmare King broke his staff he had had no problems with stopping temporarily what he was supposed to do – bringing cold air, snow and frost – but it had become difficult after the first few months to even stop the slightest snowfall just like now.

The fear of losing control over his powers was always present but Jack was just glad that his friends were now there to help and stop him if he couldn't do it by himself.

Jack was abruptly yanked out of his musings as he saw two people make their way to a small wooden bench next to the little pond he was currently hovering above.

One was Sophie sporting the vivid magenta red coat she had come with. Despite the years Jack would always be able to tell it was her, with long unruly blond hair and eyes that radiated hope. No wonder that still as an adult; Sophie loved Bunnymund more than any of the other Guardians. He had always found it amusing that they both shared this similarity only that now things were different for him. Bunny and he had long ago come to the point where they considered each other brothers, mentor and student, annoying brat and favorite victim to pranks. A connection not even North, who was once the student to one of the world's greatest wizard could understand. Jack felt a bit proud about it though there was no reason to it.

Jack shook his head in dismay. What was going on? He never was this absentminded and scatter-brained. Maybe Tooth really was rubbing off on him too much like North had once jokingly said, patting him on his shoulders so violently that Jack nearly spit out the cookie he had been eating.

Breathing in and out again, he concentrated at the here and now and nearly choked when his eyes fell on his first believer. He had said he would recognize Sophie anytime. Now, as he saw the figure in the woolen cloak sit down on the bench, hair nearly devoid of any of its original brown color, he was not sure he could say the same thing of Jamie.

Sophie sat beside her brother holding his hand and conversing in a light but forced tone of voice. Jack landed on his feet softly but to him it felt like he had been dropped suddenly by the wind. When Sophie had told him that her brother was ill, he had thought she had exaggerated a bit for Sophie tended to go overboard with her descriptions and suddenly he wished it had just been an exaggeration.

Jamie looked frail and s though he had had been under a lot of pressure. His face was way slimmer than Jack remembered it, not skinny but it was clear he really had lost a few pounds. His hair was now pretty much gray, although Jack didn't know if it was a family thing with the Bennets. Jamie's dad also had had grey when he had been in his fifties and Sophie also was beginning to lose her yellow color. But the lack of color seemed to give Jamie a more ashen complexion.

What was the worst though, was that distinct feeling Jack had in the pit of his stomach that something was amiss.

He stood wide-eyed and only returned to them once he saw Sophie giving him the sign to come near. He approached his legs hardly working together with his brain but he managed to make it towards them without stumbling. He tried to adjust his grip on his staff several times, his fingers unable to find a comfortable position.

Jamie looked at him expectantly like a kid and smiled amicably. He was waiting for something but Jack was so nervous at the moment he did not really trust his voice to work properly.

Jamie blinked once, leaning back in on the bench but his eyes never left Jack's. Jack had to stop himself from bouncing up and down as he threw a hopeful look towards Sophie, who tried to smile encouragingly, but failed ending up grimacing more than anything. The winter spirit understood her and so did not take the pained expression as an offense. He even admired Sophie for going through this with so much calm.

He turned back towards the man nearing his sixties, gulping down the lump in his throat: "H-hi, Jamie."

Jamie nodded vigorously, stretching out a hand towards Jack's and taking it into his: "It's good to see you too."

Jack felt a thousand emotions at the same time, the most prominent relief and untamable happiness. So maybe their plan was working and he really could help Jamie. He opened his mouth in a big smile showing shiny white teeth and wanted to say something to Sophie when the next sentence from Jamie brought everything crushing down:

"So, Andrew, how are you doing?"

He stood, frozen and could feel his heart shattering into tiny little shards that seemed to inflict physical pain upon him, tearing at his insides. The look Sophie threw his way must have looked at least as heartbroken as his own. Jamie still believed with all of his heart, could still see him, hear him, feel him, and tell that he was there but he simply did not recognize him. And for a moment Jack caught himself thinking for the first time that maybe he would have preferred Jamie not to believe rather than forget.

Oblivious to the turmoil his simple question had caused, Jamie waited still holding Jack's hand patiently. It took some time but Jack figured that he should just go and answer the question. Trying to make Jamie understand he was not his nephew would not help any. Sophie just nodded before looking away, blinking away tears. Jack regretted ever asking that favor after seeing what toll it was on her to see her older brother only a few months after his illness had suddenly and violently come up.

She also was still trying to deal with the situation. His request had been selfish.

"I'.. I'm doing good, thanks.", he mumbled studying his feet, unable to look into eyes that were not seeing Jack but a twenty-three years old russet college student.

Jamie sighed contently and took his other hand to pat Jack's.

"That's good. And how is your girlfriend…. Amy wasn't it, doing? Does she like her new job?"

The sting in his heart hurt so much Jack wasn't sure he wouldn't just keel over and die from it. Helplessly he searched for Sophie's green eyes that just indicated him to go with it. She was way too distracted to really be of any help to him.

Jack knelt down; so that he was eye-to-eye with his best friend and also took Jamie's other hand, running a thumb absentmindedly over it. He didn't know how Andrew's wife was faring but if he couldn't really talk about Andrew and his life his own would have to be enough for the moment.

He looked up, determined to look into the brown eyes of the boy who had been the first to see him even if he did take him for someone else.

"Tooth's fine. You know how much she likes what she does. Still gets excited whenever there is a new child to believe in her or when the kids take good care of their teeth and… What?"

The indignant question was not directed towards jamie but Sophie who was goggling him like he had sprouted two heads. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish's but it looked like she was just unable to make her mouth form some coherent words. Jack might have laughed, if his heart wasn't shattering to a million pieces.

He simply lifted one corner of his mouth and gave her that look that just confirmed what he just said. That finally helped the woman pick up her jaw from the floor.

"That's good, that's good.", Jamie replied suddenly looking somewhat absent and distracted.

Jack grew nervous at his sudden change in behavior and the fact that Jamie's hand was now painfully gripping at his own wasn't any more reassuring. He tried to gently pry them away but he did not need to because all of a sudden Jamie leapt to his feet pushing against Jack with all his might and sending the teen tumbling backwards, the staff sliding off towards the center of the now frozen pond.

When his world wasn't spinning anymore and he had regained his bearings he could see Sophie holding Jamie in a bone crushing grip from behind, the man struggling and yelling at her to let him go. Jack was too shocked for words, his throat feeling dry. This was not Jamie he was seeing and it terrified him so much that he effectively shook.

From the quarrel he distantly registered Sophie's desperate and pleading voice: "You promised, remember? So go! Now!"

The last word was drowned by a furious yell from Jamie, saying that she let him go.

Jack scrambled to his feet, stumbling a few times before reaching his staff. He was about to take off when he threw a glance at Sophie and her fighting brother and he was overcome with the desire to turn back and help her. It was the wind itself that made the decision for him, whisking him off the ground as people clad in white and mint green cloths rushed towards Jack's first best friends.

* * *

It was dark when the Tooth Fairy came rushing through the opening in the ceiling of North's domain, agitated, tired and worried. Knowing where she was expected she rushed off towards a corridor to her right and turned left coming face to face with three other very worried and restless Guardians. Baby Tooth was besides her chirping quickly and unhappily.

"What happened?", she asked turning towards North who was pacing back and forth, hand running through his long silvery beard.

The Russian met her gaze with blue troubled eyes. He shook his head sadly gaze wandering over Bunny and Sandy as though he needed their assistance.

"We do not know.", he finally said not stopping in his motion. "He was gone for a few days, said he wanted to see goo' ol' Jamie. Next thing we know, he isz at ze South Pole causing huge blizzard."

He flailed with both his arms for emphasis nearly knocking his hands both into Baby Tooth and Bunnymund's face.

"Sandy found 'im there passed out… He refuses to talk to us.", the gift bringer concluded sadly.

"He won't even talk ta' me, mate.", Bunnymund said dejectedly, ears flattened lacking his usual rough demeanor. Tooth looked towards Sandy who usually had this little knowing smile whenever the Easter Bunny talked this way about their youngest member but the lack of it just made the seriousness of the whole situation all the more evident.

She righted herself, wringing her hands shortly.

"I'll go in. You better go and rest. You look terrible."

They all gave her a grateful smile and excused themselves towards the round room where they always spent their time whenever they got together at the North Pole. Baby Tooth followed them, well aware that it was probably best to leave her "Mother" and Jack alone.

Carefully Tooth approached the pale blue door, knocking on it once before entering. Jack's room was looking as ever with the white and silvery walls and a minimum of furniture in the same color as the door.

Jack lay curled up on the midnight blue covers of his bed, back facing her while his front was turned towards the huge spotless window through which he came and went as he pleased. She instantly knew he was not sleeping by the way his chest rose and fell, the intakes of air far too big for him to be resting.

Quietly she closed the door behind her and fluttered over to the bed before lying next to him and taking him in an embrace; one arm over his shoulder the other cushioning his head so she could stroke his hair.

That always helped to calm him, she knew. They just lay there in silence even though it was a bit hard for someone as energetic as her to stay this calm. After an unknown amount of time, it could have been minutes or hours, she felt Jack turn around in her arms, so that he was facing her now.

Tooth had to admit that he did in fact look like someone who had just caused one of the worst blizzards in history, with his heavy lidded eyes and the way he seemed to drag his limbs.

He draped his arms around her pulling her close and nuzzling his face into the crook of her feathery neck. The slight chill coming from his body did not bother her anymore; it felt natural to her by now and yet was alien every time again.

Although she was tempted to Tooth did not ask him what had happened. She knew that pushing Jack did not help him open up. He always was ready to do it on his own; he just needed his time to find the right words. So she just resumed stroking the white locks feeling his breath disturb her sensitive feathers.

When he finally spoke, she nearly didn't catch it because it was so muffled.

"I went to see Jamie.", he said simply, sounding tired beyond his young looking appearance.

Tooth did not miss a beat in her stroking and just nodded, knowing that Jack would feel it.

"Didn't he see you?", she asked as he made no more attempts at expressing himself. Jack just shook his head and tightened his grip on her like a desperate soul.

"He did see me but he did not recognize me."

Puzzled Tooth stopped what she had been doing and Jack promptly made a bit of space between them so she could see his face again. The sadness in those blue eyes was so raw that Tooth just wished she could take some of it away from him. She stroked his face and he leaned into the touch like a love-hungry puppy that had been neglected for too long.

It took a few minutes again before he seemingly had the strength to continue: "Jamie has something called Alzheimer."

Tooth looked at Jack shocked before frowning empathetically. She had knew of this ailment from the Teeth of children who had people in their family suffering from it but had never had to deal with it personally. It was a devious illness.

"I am so sorry sweettooth.", she whispered, giving him a kiss on his forehead.

He glanced at her a shimmer of hope in his blue eyes. Tooth knew what he was thinking about and she hated that she would have to be the one to crush his ray of hope.

"His teeth might bring him back his memories but it will be short lived. It won't be permanent."

As expected Jack's face fell and that exhaustion he had radiated before returned tenfold.

For some time again, nothing happened and Tooth was by now sure that her love had fallen asleep when a quiet murmur caught her attention.

"Please…stay."

Tooth just smiled and obliged, staying beside him through the night, holding him close in a warm embrace, chasing away what might have become fitful dreams.


	8. Chapter 8 - Resourcefulness

Resourcefullness

Tsar Lunar was one of the few to have witnessed the last of the Golden Age thousands of years ago. He had been but a mere child when his father and mother sought to bring him to safety, out of reach for Pitch Black, his Nightmare Men and Fearlings, who wanted to make him their prince.

Aboard the fastest crafts the Golden Age had ever seen, they made their escape but Pitch was far quicker than any of the Lunanoffs would have guessed. The battle that ensued sealed the threat away for many years but had left the young child orphaned and stranded on the broken Moon Clipper that the humans now referred to as the "Moon".

He had grown up on the stationary transportation, knew it's every corner and every room and things never had gotten boring with Moonbots, Glowworms and Lunar Moths as his companions on the lonely satellite.

Though as unimposing as his existence could be, it did not go unnoticed by the curious humans, who from time to time, though very rarely, saw him wandering the moon's surface; with their formerly very small and by now very big telescopes.

These sightings earned him many names and the most commonly used would be "Man in the Moon".

MiM had never minded that designation and even less its short form. MiM was the first Guardian to the children of the world. The children of earth had always been fascinating to him, a child too, who could not interact with them but still see what they liked to do, what they wished for, what their hopes were, what made them marvel, what made them laugh, what they found worth remembering and what they dreamed of.

And it was all of these things, many of which only the children were able to express and enjoy sincerely that made them worth being protected in his eyes. That was the beginning of his duty; one that he liked to carry out with all of his heart.

For many centuries MiM took it upon himself to choose others than himself to protect the children; bound to earth unlike he who could not leave the broken Moon Clipper. The first was Sandman, who just like him, stranded on earth because of Pitch. He was to become the Guardian of dreams. Next came others like Nicholas St. North, the Russian bandit who became Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy Toothania and Bunnymund, the giant Pooka and bringer of Easter eggs and delicious chocolates.

Alongside these four Guardians, Tsar Lunar also chose many others: seasonal spirits, elemental spirits and the sort to bring happiness to the children and sometimes even the adults (who often tried to find the golden pot at the end of the rainbow and on very rare occasions were successful). One of these spirits was one Jackson Overland Frost, bringer of winter, ice and snow and as MiM had already decided upon reviving him in that dark cold lake the future Guardian of fun.

What he had not expected to happen upon this resurrection was the boy's loss of his memories and even now MiM still was in doubt if what he had done was the right thing. He had learned a long time ago that some things happened for a reason and that sometimes it was better to let them unfold.

Still, three hundred and fifty years of silence might still have been hard on the boy with a playful streak and one of the kindest and most honest hearts he had seen in his inhumanly long life.

He had watched the snowy haired spirit, like he watched over every other, but never had his own feelings been so contradicting. He watched over him as he went through the world, all alone feeling betrayed by him and the people all around who could not see him but never growing rancorous (though somewhat resentful). He saw him fighting alongside the ones he had always been meant to be part of and persist against Pitch, gaining what he had always wanted most.

The years with his fellow Guardians were the most entertaining for MiM to watch but right now what he was seeing was not a joyous winter spirit that tinkered on something with Father Christmas, who sat on a roof with the Sandman, who spent time with a feathery woman he had come to love or an oversized Bunny he liked to tease and be taught different things by.

What MiM had been witnessing for the last few days was a heartbroken boy yearning for a friendship he had lost and he could not regain no matter what he tried; no matter what he sacrificed.

It pained him that the Guardian of fun had lost his smile for what seemed like forever. It pained him to see the other four try to ease the pain only to see their efforts go to naught as the youngest of their ranks would fly off every night only return as a silent shadow – unresponsive, detached and utterly cold.

The human Jamie had forgotten about the friendship he and the spirit of winter had shared. It was not his fault that his own body was failing him but the consequences still were catastrophic for the people that cherished him. Not only Jack.

It had been fifty years since MiM had revealed Jack's true purpose to the other Guardians. Eversince; the boy had not failed in his duty and had tried his best at being a Guardian. Maybe it was time to show him that the effort was worth it; maybe it was time for MiM to do something as compensation for over three hundred years of not answering Jack's calls.

Tsar Lunar turned away from his telescope and whisked a small corked bottle from a shelf to his right, running a thumb over the yellowed label. It had helped before, though only with little aches and pains that a young moth or a glowworm might get when they got too adventurous. There was no guarantee it would work with an ailment as severe as this.

Yet he would try for the sake of the happiness of the ones he had chosen to protect the children and for the one he thought might need that little ray of hope.

He left the room and made his way towards some place no human had ever seen. If he wanted this to succeed he would have to make preparations.

* * *

It was silent in the Warren, except for the barely audible scuffle of tiny little egg-feet running around, these eggs having been singled out for the great day much to their chagrin but unaware that they were actually supposed to be a present for a few very special guests.

Toothania, Sandy and North were already there waiting for Bunnymund to arrive with Sophie and her little granddaughter as well as Asters' twins. It had become sort of a tradition that the eldest Bennets came to visit on the evening of Easter Sunday for a few hours and usually it always was a cause of rejoicing but the mood of the Guardians was a little dampened as they came to understand that most probably their youngest, Jack Frost, would not be attending the meeting tonight.

Tooth sighed as her violet eyes did not manage to catch a glimpse of a blue hoodie or feel a slight change of temperature that always came along with the bringer of winter. Over the last week she had tried everything to get Jack to be the bright and joyful character they had come to know him as but to no avail.

He might have opened up to her on that one night where they had held each other close on the bed but the next morning, when she woke up (she could not even recall falling asleep in the first place) she found the space next to her empty. They had looked for him, went to the lake in Burgess, mobilized fairies and asked other spirits but none had seen the mischief-maker.

It was only on the second day of his absence that they found him, passed out in a snow bank in the middle of nowhere. They had brought him back, tried once again to get anything out of him but he just ignored their pleading and scolding and flew off to MiM knew where.

It was Baby Tooth that communicated them that he had been at Jamie's and that he probably was headed that way again.

Since then they had not tried to dissuade him anew. They just did not know how; not when Jack was building a wall of silence and indifference around him. Bunnymund found his behavior most irritating while North was puzzled as to what to do (and having looked through every spell-book that might help their situation). Sandy thought it was in Jack's interest to give him time and space for the sorrow to dull. The one that was hurt most by his actions though was Tooth, seeing his silence as some sort of rejection even though she was well aware that she probably interpreted too much into Jack's actions.

He was upset and hurt and so, did not act like his usual self.

She looked up when a small golden hand settled on her shoulder. She smiled sadly as Sandy squeezed lightly. She shook her head a bit to slacken her tense muscles of her neck before hearing the merry laughter of children coming through the tunnel showing the map of North America.

Three children going from age four to seven came running out of the gaping round entrance, giggling and smiling like there was no tomorrow. As soon as their brown and blue-green eyes fell on the other occupants of the large circus they came running towards them screaming different names and greetings and good wishes for Easter – all at the once.

The three Guardians smiled back at the two sand-blond and brown eyed twins, who were babbling and jumping excitedly towards them, a seven year old girl in tow who tried and failed to look like some teenager who was bugged by the younger children's behavior. She was at least as excited as the young ones.

"It's good to see all of you again.", greeted Clara trying to give each of them a hug, something she had done ever since she had come to the Warren the first time four and a half years ago. When she was done keeping an eye out for someone she found missing. Surprised she raised both her blonde eyebrows.

"Where is Jack?", she asked innocently.

Before any of the others could come up with a measly excuse Tooth smiled at her, trying her best at hiding that tremble in her voice as she replied without missing a beat: "He is busy at the moment with bringing a bit of snow to a place where hasn't been in a while."

It might be considered a lie but it wasn't really one since before he went to visit Jamie Jack hadn't seen the man in four years.

The blond girl frowned, she could tell there was something they did not tell her but she let it drop as the twins, took her by the hands and dragged her off to a place where the formerly saddened eggs were now trying to hide, making a game out of it.

At that time Sophie and Bunny decided to join their group, small and sincere smiles on their faces as they watched the children get onto their knees and crawl under the bushes.

Sophie looked tired and spent for a woman in her mid-fifties, with dark bags under her eyes and frowning lines showing on her forehead, her usual low ponytail looking messier than ever. Bunnymund hopped over as he understood that the eggs were trying to lead the kids away into a tunnel where they would undoubtedly end in a river full of bright paint.

It was silent, in a very uncomfortable way.

As Sophie made no move to join the fun, something that until now she always had done with as much vigor as the four year-old that had stumbled into the realm of spring by accident, did it occur to them just how much the illness of their human friend did drag down the people around him.

As the woman crossed her arms over her chest Tooth lowered a bit, hovering on eye-level and laid a hand on her shoulder as well, just like Sandy had done with her a few minutes ago. Sophie looked up, surprised as though she had just now understood she was not all by herself. It just made more obvious the turmoil inside her soul.

"We've heard about Jamie. We're so sorry, sweety."

There was shock in her eyes and a slight frown adorning her face, her mind scrambling madly, searching for an explanation as to how they could possibly know what was going on in the family. Suddenly it dawned on her and her expression softened.

"So Jack told you.", she said tonelessly a very faint knowing smile on her lips. It was strange to see someone smile while talking about such a depressing issue but maybe it was all the girl could do at this point.

Before Tooth had any chance at answering North snorted.

"More like 'e told Tooth. 'E would not talk to us.", he said dismally, a sulky undertone in his voice.

Sophie nodded, gaze returning towards the little group of four now playing under a shaded tree, the twins taking turns in riding on Bunnymund's back while Clara tried to race him. She never stood a chance but for her the Easter Bunny would slow down a bit so she could keep up. He did not have the intention to crush her dream of becoming a runner.

Now that she knew Jack and Tooth were in a relationship it only was plausible for him to look for comfort from her. Who would have thought that the great trouble-maker and roaming winter spirit would get together with a busy and sometimes very absentminded fairy? Well, she had not seen it coming but most probably no one had.

While her thoughts drifted around that subject she took in every face she could find suddenly realizing that someone was missing. She searched the sky, looked back and forth startling the three people around her.

"Where is Jack by the way?", she questioned, frowning, worry building up n the pit of her stomach.

Three pairs of eyes exchanged abashed looks before Toothania, whose feathers were very flat against her body replied meekly: "He probably won't be coming today."

Sophie's eyes were downcast as she rubbed away at them discreetly.

"I see.", she said, sniffing quietly but giving no other indication as to how stressed she was. Coming to the right conclusion that it was because of his encounter with Jamie was not difficult. She rolled her shoulders and huddled deeper into her coat which should be way too warm right now but refused to take it off.

"I should have stood my ground and not taken him.", she said, hand clenching tightly at her chin and mouth. She could hear her own voice trembling. She didn't even know why she was telling them this. They should not have to worry; they should not feel as concerned as they probably did. It would be better if they weren't, it would be like imposing on them she figured.

But on the other side, she felt so alone. If only her husband were still there…

Panic was building up in the others as they saw the woman in their midst slowly begin to crumble. A cheery laughter drew near as Bunny returned holding two smiling twins at each of his paw while Clara followed, arms loaded with eggs. The Pooka stopped shortly as he could smell the uneasiness hanging in the air, his green eyes landing on Sophie.

In no time did he give the others a sign with a jerk of his head and turned towards the children again: "You know what? Why don't ya all go with the others and look for some chocolate? It's hidden all over the Warren. What do ya' say?"

Jason and his brother Sandy bounded up and down running towards North Sandy and Tooth pulling at their hands, arms and coat also bounding off towards some direction they decided suited their search best. Clara stood undecidedly looking between her grandmother and the retreating group. Bunny gazed into her eyes and nodded his head towards the larger group. Reluctantly, Clara deposited the eggs they had found on the ground and turned her back to them.

When she and the others were out of sight Bunny turned towards the woman who still stood on the same spot but was trembling slightly. Bunny put his two paws on her shoulder and guided her towards a flat stone where she could sit down. He crouched down next to her, weight resting on his hind-legs as he rubbed at her arm to make her feel better. She just shook harder.

"Hey, ankle-biter, what's wrong?", he said soothingly. Of course he knew what was wrong but maybe it was more appropriate to ask rather than impose.

Sophie snuffled before hastily taking a handkerchief out of the pocket of her coat and blowing into it noisily. Tears were gathering in her green eyes as she tried to avert her gaze too ashamed to break down like this when actually she should be watching over the children.

"Is it because of Jamie?", Bunny finally asked, trying to get her to open up. He could literally see her bursting from the inside.

Her eyes turned back towards him in a flash, her lips quivering violently. A sob escaped her and another and another. Handkerchief pressed over her face with both hands she wept, taking in short breaths that came out like whines while rocking on the stone. Bunny said nothing and just sat with her stroking her hair and making sure she did not slip off the rock and fall.

It took Sophie awhile until she had regained her composure but once she was done the pressure and tension that had been radiating off of her was gone.

"I'm sorry.", she apologized drawing up a corner of her mouth in a lopsided smirk, "I needed that. Thank you."

Bunny just shook his head. "No need ta'. We all have to let I' out once in a while." He waited, letting her blow her nose again, so that she did not sound so stuffy anymore.

"But really, is it that bad?"

Sophie nodded, now able to talk without having to fear that she would break down so violently again.

"He doesn't recognize me anymore, nor Cupcake or his sons.", she said picking an aster that grew next to her and twirling it between her fingers. She often did that when she was looking for inspiration in her work as a decorator.

Bunnymund winced, while he came into a sitting position that clearly was the one of a bunny. Oh how Jack would have loved to tease him about that.

"How is Cupcake takin' it?", he wanted to concentrate on Sophie but still, the woman also was still believing in them so he could not ignore that little voice in the back of his mind that urged him to ask about her well-being.

Not stopping her twirling Sophie went on: "I can't tell. She is very strong but I don't see her very often anymore. I guess she also struggles with the situation. Especially now after Jack and Aster have started arguing with each other again. You still remember them, don't you?"

Bunny nodded. Of course he would remember both boys, one of which was his namesake. It still touched him that Jamie had honored them in this way.

"Anyway," Sophie continued her brows furrowing a little, "there was a fight between them. As much as I know, Jack blames Aster and his mother for what happened to their father because of their 'little dreams' and 'unnecessary believes'."

The aster fell to the ground and she retrieved it, begging to pluck at its petals. Bunny stayed silently. It was sad how Jack's namesake vehemently tried to convince his family that they all didn't exist.

Irony seemed to pick its favorites.

But at least there was still Aster, who on the other hand did everything in his power to keep his and the toddlers' believe alive. He even had brought back the belief to his wife after she had already stopped believing for years.

And again: the irony of it all.

The Easter spirit's musings were interrupted by Sophie's voice.

"There are also the bills to pay. I already offered her to pay a quarter of the price for the care home but she does not want to hear any of it. She thinks that I already have enough problems with being alone and everything."

The hidden message behind those words was not hard to decode. Sophie had had a very happy marriage but it only lasted around twenty years when her husband died in a shooting. Bunny still saw the devastated woman in front of him and it always sent a wave of sadness, anger and pity through him. He had also witnessed his own race's downfall. He knew what it felt like to lose something by force. But at least she had her children, who to his knowledge did not have or cause any problems and he had his little family of companions even if he did not say that out loud.

His ears were erect when she sighed and combed back a few strands of hair.

"You know what's worst?", she said looking off into the distance "It was Jack's face when he saw Jamie flailing and shouting. He looked so horrified and I just wonder: Do I look the same every time I see my brother like that?"

Bunnymund did not have an answer for that one. Instead he took her hand and squeezed it. Their eyes met.

"Ya' know, actions speak louder than words. You're a good sister and it is remarkable how ya' still stick ta' Jamie even when I' gets tough. An' honestly, I'd also be terrified if any of ta' othas' acted like that."

Her green eyes were bright and suddenly she leapt into his arms, hugging him tightly and stroking the fur on his back.

"Thank you.", she whispered still holding onto him, unaware that soon many of her problems would be solved.

* * *

At the same time, far away from the warmth of the Warren, Jack Frost was flying towards a brick building sitting between trees in the middle of nowhere away from any large cities.

It was cold and the sky had already darkened but Jack wanted to go anyway. He had no urge to be anywhere but with his friend and first believer. He had wanted to come earlier but had been too tired to go on. Not that that would have stopped him but the wind had made it clear that he either rest or he would be dropped on the highest mountain in the Rockies.

Seeing that he would never be able to cover that distance in time he had relented although grudgingly and with a good amount of sarcasm. But he knew better than to test his luck with the wind, like he had done once before and paid dearly by being stuck on the ground for a few weeks.

And he absolutely had to be there on time. Fifty years of friendship to a day. It meant everything to him to get there even though he had come to the complex all the previous days. Not that Jamie knew of it.

He was silent as he landed on the sill of the half-closed window, light as a snowflake. By now he had figured out how he could open the window once it was like this, you just had to give it one good pull and push and voilà, open it is for any spirit to enter. Jack was about to do just that when a strange light caught his eye. Squinting his eyes against the darkness he looked more closely and there it was – a feeble light next to his friends face, white and pure as the moon's rays. It clicked in his head as he understood that it was a Moonbeam he was looking at.

Strange for a Moonbeam to go astray like this; maybe it was lost.

It was when Jack suddenly saw a shadow appear out of nowhere next to the bed that he became frantic. He all but threw himself against the window, opening it and already he was facing the fiend his shepherds crook pointed towards what would be its head. He growled as the thing that looked surprisingly human did not move but seemed to look his way.

North had told Jack about Nightmare Men and the prospect of fighting one with Jamie being in the same room was something that Jack did not want to envision.

"Who are you and what do you want with Jamie?", he barked, icy-blue eyes narrowed into slits as he adjusted his grip on the staff.

The silhouette slowly raised both hands in a pacific way, guiding one towards his head. At first Jack did not understand what he wanted but understood once he remembered having seen the same motion being carried out by one other very golden person he knew a million times before.

Seeing that Jack had understood his message to stay silent he stepped forward out of the shadows and into the light of the moon, the Moonbeam seeming to follow him.

Before Jack stood a boy that could have been his doppelganger, but just on first glance. It was a white-haired boy, wiry, with a staff in his hands but which instead of a crook had a diamond dagger at its tip and inside that dagger shone the light of a small Moonbeam Jack had seen from the beginning.

The one thing that was the main difference were his eyes, light-blue and full wisdom from a life far longer than the one Jack had lived until now. He smiled brightly with eyes closed and his head cocked to the side, rocking back and forth on his heels before suddenly leaping into the air, rotating and coming to land next to Jack's right.

Jack jumped to the left while the stranger eyed him like one of the many children who saw him for the first time before smiling again and nodding to himself silently.

He made his way back to the bed but this time the Moonbeam gave off a stronger glow so that he was still visible in everything he did.

Jack lowered his staff, watching his every move as he stood beside Jamie. The boy, if Jack could even call him one, was not one of Pitch's creations, that was for sure. But one could never be careful enough. He could see the guy rummage through a sling bag he was carrying around his waist, which seemed comically tiny in comparison to his armored shoulders. In the back of his mind something was telling him he should know who that person was but as soon as a name came up it vanished, out of his mind and grasp.

Jack watched, leaning on his staff, hoping that the newcomer would go away soon. He did not even know what he wanted here.

"So why are you here?", he said irritably, annoyed by the other's mere presence. The boy looked up but did not answer. Jack figured he was like Sandy - a spirit that did not talk or refused to.

"Are you a seasonal?", Jack asked, seeing that there was nothing he could do to chase away his new acquaintance without causing ruckus.

The other shook his head jovially and continued to search in another pouch. Jack sighed and just continued the little game.

"You have a holiday?"

A hand scratching the back of his head the spirit thought for a moment and shook his head no.

"Are you from America?"

Another shake.

"From Europe? Asia?...Australia maybe?"

The spirit shook its head three times just grinning.

Jack stroked his chin, the game having gotten interesting now. He had met a lot of spirits since he became a Guardian and even before that he had crossed path with a few but that did not mean he knew all of them. Maybe this was one of them.

His eyes took in the boy's pale hair and dark clothes.

"Could you by any chance be a spirit of the night?", Jack asked, voice uncertain.

The spirit was about to shake its head once again when suddenly he stopped then he made a motion that could pass as a 'maybe'. Jack concentrated until he saw the spirit jabbing a finger at his chest and holding up one finger nodding and holding up a second finger and shaking his head again.

After fifty years of playing charade with the Sandman, Jack had no problem deciphering the message.

"So your name begins with 'night'?", he ascertained starting to pace.

The spirit beamed, nodding with so much enthusiasm that Jack was afraid its head would fall off. Lost in thought he began pacing searching his memory for the name of a spirit going by a name beginning with 'night'. His ill feelings forgotten over the little fun he had with this guessing game.

Nightbringer? No, that sounded strange even to his ears. Nightcaster? Nope, did not fit. Night…Night…

Jack's eyes fell on the full moon again and suddenly that memory that had been nagging at the back of his mind returned. It couldn't be. He turned around just in time to see Nightlight sprinkling some sort of silver dust over Jamie's sleeping face.

Jack stared wide eyed at the boy that had accompanied North, Bunny and the others on their many adventures against Pitch. Tsar Lunar's bodyguard nodded slowly, his mile wide and kind; making Jack realize he had actually said the other's name out loud without meaning to. He couldn't believe he was in one room with the same boy (or man) North liked to talk about when he was telling stories from the past.

The moment of awe was broken by Jamie coughing three times. The adult was suddenly up, startling both of them. Jack was instantly at Jamie's side as the man took huge gulps of air as though he had been under water too long and needed fresh air. Nightlight chose that moment to jump onto the window sill. Jack looked back at him desperate, wanting to know what he had done to his friend but the expression the other's face silenced him.

"You should know." he said and the sound of his voice was like bells to Jack, laughter ringing in it, "MiM does care a lot."

And with that he was gone into the night, leaving no trace or evidence of having disturbed the adult's rest or having sent Jack's feelings reeling with these simple words. Jack's attention went back to his friend who coughed into both his hands until suddenly his fit stopped. He blinked once, twice before his eyes fell onto the boy kneeling next to him, looking paler than ever.

"Jack?", Jamie asked in bewilderment, eyes trying to focus.

Jack's mouth fell open. There was a long moment of silence before he leapt up nearly knocking Jamie off his bed. The man yelped not having anticipated getting a bone-crushing hug from his friend.

"Jack what's going on? Why are you…", he stopped short as he heard a loud sob coming from his chest where Jack had buried his face. But the sob was in no way sad, it was accompanied by laughter.

"You remember.", Jack first whispered into the blue fabric of his pajama before looking up revealing a radiant smile and eyes overflowing with tears of joy and repeating these two words over and over again until he was done. By then Jamie's old father had kicked in and he held Jack with one arm around the boy's shoulders, like he used to do with Aster and Jackson.

Jack rubbed away the last remains of his tears with the back of his hand looking up at his friend.

"I'm so glad you're back.", he said cherishing the moment.

Jamie looked thoughtful.

"I can't say that I've been away.", he replied sounding confused "Everything is hazy. I cannot remember what happened after I came home from my meeting. What happened anyway? And where are we? Looks like a hospital to me."

Jack gulped unsure if it really was the best to tell his friend but shaking off that feeling quickly.

"You had Alzheimer disease.", Jack answered quietly not wanting to look into Jamie's face, too scared to find eyes again that did not see him but someone else entirely.

"We are at a care home right now. It's really nice, you know. Cupcake and Sophie made sure of that."

The silence stretched and Jack could feel the arm on his shoulder clench and unclench several times.

"How…how long ago was that?"

Finally Jack lifted Jamie's arm off of him and turned to face the adult.

"That you succumbed to the disease? If I remember correctly what Sophie said," he counted on his fingers while whispering months under his breath, making Jamie nervous " Five months ago."

Jamie let out a long breath he didn't know he'd been holding in all of this time. Sure five months was long time but better than five years.

"What did you do to help me?"

Jack shook his head smiling, nodding towards the open window and up to the moon.

"Not me.", he said.

Jamie looked out of the window before bowing his head in thanks. He didn't know if the Man in the Moon was watching but he thought that it was the least he could do to show his gratitude.

Without a warning Jack shot out of bed looking like he had recalled something very important.

"Sophie!", he shouted getting a hold of his staff before grabbing Jamie by the wrist and pulling him up with a force no one would thought him capable of, "We gotta let her know! She will be so happy!"

The teenager was practically dancing through the confined space of the room.

"Jack... Jack, Jack, Jack, Jack, Jack, Jack, Jack, Jack!", Jamie pleaded grabbing the twirling boy by his hood and making him face him. It didn't stop the winter spirit from beaming from ear to ear. "Can I change first?"

He smiled goofily as he looked at his pajamas.

After he had changed in a bathroom that went with his room, Jamie came out dressed in a simple brown jeans and a loose checkered shirt he had found in a small wardrobe on the other side of the room. Jack was sitting by the window waiting already, a glowing magical snowball in hand. He looked so content that Jamie was sure Sophie would have loved to draw him.

"Are we ready?", Jack asked getting up while tossing around their portal.

"I think so. I can't wait to see my sister.", he went quiet for a moment. "Are you sure they will still be at the Warren at this time?"

Jack threw the globe against a wall, shattering it and opening a portal to said place.

"On an Easter Sunday?", he countered throwing him a toothy grin before jumping into the swirl of green, blue and white while dragging along the adult.

They were tossed around for a split second before their feet landed on soft grass. Laughter was filling the air of the Warren and eight faces came into view.

"You bet."

* * *

MiM smiled as he saw through one of his many old and powerful devices how two families united again, each in their own way but the joy was equally big.

And if he looked very closely he might be able to see lips belonging to grateful blue eyes and pale face whispering a 'Thank you' towards the sky.


	9. Chapter 9 -Surrender

Surrender

A Rise of the Guardian OneShot by Cameco aka. SerenePhenix

_Sequel to "Sensitive"_

"I don't really understand."

"You don't need to, you do already."

"Maybe but, still: Why me?"

"Is that question really necessary, Jack?"

It was with a surprised look that Jack Frost turned towards the hunched over figure to his right, eyebrows raised in silent contemplation. Pitch Black stayed as indifferent as he could be. The dark color that had once given him a threatening aura replaced by a faded grey, making the spirit of fear look old and brittle. Unhealthy.

The Boogeyman was a shadow of his former self as the Guardian concluded humorlessly.

It was Halloween and the air was cold. It had been seventy years since he had last seen his foe and the man that understood him like no other. Who had hurt him and his friends like no other.

They were currently occupying a lone bench in a park, the Man in the Moon the only one aware of this exchange. But Jack was not worried that MiM might alert the others. He knew that MiM had enough trust in him to know that there was no harm in Jack meeting the Boogeyman. Rather he was welcoming this exchange by making his home shine even brighter on this particular October night.

It showed that he still considered Pitch as a misguided friend and not some sort of monster. Jack got up, twirling around his staff and freezing random leaves on the ground. He had come here because the wind had carried a message towards him. Jack had not been surprised when he understood who had sent it rather than what it was about.

Tired of waiting he stuck his staff into the hard soil and hunched on the crooked end, watching Pitch from a higher position. The silence was suffocating.

Jack exhaled irritably. Pitch had said he wanted to talk and now that the person he had bothered with his request was there he did not even try to keep the conversation going.

"You were the only one who would not ignore it.", came the sudden answer to his earlier question.

Jack just nodded watching golden, brown and red leaves fall to the ground silently like big snowflakes.

"No, I wouldn't even if I wanted to."

Again, it was quiet. Of course he had known why it was him he just wanted to hear it from the other's mouth.

"After all, you also did not ignore me even if it only served your purpose."

"Point taken."

Jack watched as a grin sneaked its way on that face, crooked and twisted as he remembered it but not evil.

"Will you try and bother us again once you are powerful enough?"

The wind picked up slightly as Pitch got up from his seat and headed for the shadows of the woods.

"Who knows."

The reply was quiet and matched the worn appearance of its user but Jack felt that there was no threat in them. Pitch had given up. Somewhere in his gut, Jack felt something constricting violently, like when people tended to get sick.

Before he could come up with any kind of retort the figure had vanished, leaving no trace whatsoever. As if he had never existed.

Jack sighed deeply, leaning against his staff. He felt exhausted and very, very old. The moon cast a soft shimmer on his form.

"I haven't forgiven him.", he said in a soothing whisper, blue eyes looking at the moon, "But I haven't forgotten what it feels like. I don't want to. I shouldn't."

He waited and suddenly a content smile crossed his face: "But I guess you know that already."

The Man in the Moon did not reply. There was no need to.


	10. Chapter 10 - Sincere Happiness

Sincere Happiness

Jack decorated the grave on the Burgess cemetery with frost, watching as it vowed into cold flowers.

He smiled ruefully while his eyes held an amused spark.

"I'm sorry I had no time to get real ones but I'm in a bit of a rush and I guess. They never would have survived with my cold, anyway."

Of course there was no answer and it was not like he expected one. He frowned at one of the shapes that had turned a bit more lopsided and corrected his mistake with a slight tap of his staff. Instantly the crippled flower turned into a complex snowflake while Jack made sure that the name 'Jamie Bennet' was still visible ad free of ice.

He smiled, satisfied with his work and crouched down so he was on one level with the grey inscription.

"Yesterday was Easter. Cotton-tail was getting frantic because he thought his eggs had been kidnapped.", he smiled as he recalled the prank he had pulled on the blue-furred Pooka. Never in his long life had he laughed so much. It was always glorious to see Bunny getting all worked up like a parent when they lost sight of their kids, even though the latter were perfectly fine. It had even been kind of endearing how he called out for some very specific eggs.

"I mean, he never would have guessed that I'd tell his eggs they were late for Easter Sunday when in fact it was just past midnight and they still had time. These poor eggs are just as gullible as the elves."

He was now sitting casually next to the stone like he used to with Jamie when he had still been alive, legs outstretched, torso supported by his forearms. He watched as the sun faded and the sky went from ruby red to indigo.

"But I was afraid he might get a heart attack so I just told him that Easter would begin a bit earlier this year.", he laughed as Bunny's incredulous expression came to his mind, which had been followed by a yell he only heard once he'd been running off into one of the tunnels, the one which led to North America. The fact that Bunnymund had not come after him just proved that the Easter spirit was not all that mad about what he had done.

It was a harmless prank in comparison to the blizzard from '68 and in a way Jack saved him a lot of the annual hassle the bunny usually had to face. But Jack was sure he still would be peeved once he came back. He breathed in through his nose deeply. The graveyard smelled of freshly trimmed grass and bloomed flowers and soil. He smiled dreamily as the remembered the evenings he and Jamie would spend on a bench close by. He turned his head and saw it through the low black metal fence on the other side of the yard.

The brown wood looked rather unspectacular, a bit of the varnish that was supposed to protect it from the weather already peeling off. It would need a fresh repaint sooner rather than later. In some way it was like his memories of Jamie. They were coming off, disappearing and little by little. He was finding it difficult to see the face of his friend as it had been when he had gone from this world. Instead his face as the ten year old that had seen him remained fresh in his memory.

The cloud that passed by over him went unnoticed by the winter elf as he recalled the last one day, when he had seen Jamie alive for the last time and the unfinished conversation they'd had.

* * *

"_When did we switch places?"_

_Jack cocked an eyebrow at the grey-haired grandfather to his right, not understanding what he was talking about. It was the last week of August and definitely a bit too warm for the winter spirits liking. He did not mind the warmth but it always made him feel squeezy a_ _reason why he usually minded these seasons and their spirits but he had made a bet with Bunny._

_After having helped the cottontail with the annual preparations for Easter the bunny had caught on how tired out he was because of the sunny weather. The usual argument had ensued, ending of course with him and Bunnymund making it a challenge. The Easter spirit was to stay all summer in a cold_ _region while Jack would stay in regions that were above fifteen degrees at least._

_They had started that very same day and Bunnymund, though obstinate and a lot of endurance had to return to the Warrens after having spent one month somewhere in the coldest part of the Russian tundra. It had taken just as long to get him back on his feet in the warm Warrens after his case of the flu. _

_Jack had been admitted winner since then and Bunny did not even object that maybe he could have held out longer if it had not been for the surprise snow-storm but Jack had taken a liking to spending the summer in Burgess with his best friend. For Jamie it hadn't been that funny when Jack nearly suffered a serious case of heatstroke (it had been over 28 degrees that day after all) but since his friend had insisted that he was okay he just stayed by his side and indeed once night came, Jack had overcome his short run-in with the short end of the stick of being a winter sprite._

_Even after all the time spent together Jack was in for some surprises._

"_What do you mean with 'switched places'?"_

_Jamie fiddled with his wooden cane that was resting in his lap in the same fashion as Jack with his staff beside him. Had anybody seen, no one could tell who was trying to imitate whose habit._

_Jamie had to clear his throat. Jack was used to it by now but still he wondered why it was becoming more frequent._

"_I mean," Jamie began and smiled "when did I become the adult and you the child?"_

_Jack stared at him as though struck by lightning, both eyebrows raised so high they disappeared under his hairline. Jamie was just about to ask what was wrong when suddenly the cheerful spirit went into hysterics, clutching his stomach from laughter. Even as he fell off the bench and made a startled sound that did not stop him, the rough change in position only seeming to add to his amusement._

_Jamie for his part made a sour face, believing his friend was not taking him seriously._

_After a while Jack managed to bring his laughing fit under control but his cheeks were stinging from the grin on his face._

"_Okay, I'm good…I'm good now.", Jack chuckled, wiping at his eyes discreetly and dusting himself off. He caught Jamie's glare and smiled mischievously before turning half-serious again. _

"_I'm sorry to break it to you but to me you will always be the younger one."_

_Jack's white teeth were showing with how widely he grinned while he could watch the wheels and cogs turn inside the old man's head. First Jamie frowned, debating on whether the boy was pulling his leg or not until he remembered something vital about the elf. Instantly his face lit up and he too laughed. He was getting old, he knew it. There simply was no other explanation as to why he had discarded that thought._

_Jack sat beside him, feet dangling from the bench he had repositioned himself on._

"_Of course, you are right,", the man said, patting Jack's knee fondly, "Sorry, it is just hard to keep in mind that only your body doesn't age."_

_Jack hummed tunelessly and closed his eyes, enjoying the warm late summer sun rays on his skin and especially his bare feet. He hadn't known how much he had missed this until he had started this challenge with Bunny. Making plans in his head how to make up for this year's missed summer on the southern hemisphere, Jack only opened his eyes when it had become considerably chilly and the sun was nothing but a slither on the horizon. He must have nodded off at some point, he mused._

_He stretched, a shudder running up and down his spine as a few bones gave a popping sound. He bleary blinked his eyes open, smirking when he saw Jamie whose chin was resting on his chest. He grabbed his staff that had fallen next to his feet at some point and lightly poked his friend with its tip._

_But the man did not stir. Jack tried again but when Jamie again did not acknowledge his presence, his grin faded. He approached carefully. Jamie's face was relaxed but that liveliness Jack knew so well was missing. Gingerly he held his hand under his friend's nose his breath hitching._

_He withdrew it as though he had been burned. He felt numb and lost but stayed beside his friend's lifeless body until morning came and the first strollers noticed a lonely, hunched over figure on the bench next to the cemetery. _

_That same day he had returned to the Pole. No one needed to ask him what had happened for it just had been a question of time and Bunny let any remark about Jack not having won the bet entirely slip._

_It had been the 30__th__ of August._

* * *

Jack watched a bird pass by with a twig in its beak, surely for a nest it was building.

It had taken a while but he had managed to overcome Jamie's death. They had all known that sooner or later his time would come and he took solace in the thought that Jamie had lived a happy life even with the hardships he and Sophie had faced.

Jack still did not know how they had done it but the siblings shared a connection that could have passed off as telepathic. They always had known when one of them was unwell. And so Sophie had gone to sleep that very same night as her brother and just like him did not wake up when her old friend rang the doorbell outside.

In a way it had been a second punch into their guts but eventually the sadness faded a little. Jack had a bit less problems with overcoming his grief than Bunnymund or Tooth, Sandy or Santa.

That wasn't because he did not hold Jamie or Sophie dear but he still remembered what it had been like when he had thought he had lost Jamie to Alzheimer. Jamie had lived on borrowed time, thirty years to be exact and that was more than Jack could ever have asked for. Otherwise he would have lost his friend way back then.

The wind was swirling around him, inviting him to ride it. As he listened closely he also intercepted the quiet murmur that only he could perceive: A message from the others. He nodded, getting up and smiling one last time at both tombstones. He would come back in August for sure.

He jumped up, the wind embracing him.

"Hey wind," he whispered, blue eyes awing at the blue sky above, "take me home."

* * *

The Pole was bustling with activity. Yetis, elves, small fairies even one or two eggs were running about as if Pitch was attacking again. This time though the cause of the general mayhem was a pleasant one.

North, the big, good-hearted Russian with a heavy accent was in the Globe Room with his fellow Guardians, pacing around and stroking his silver beard absentmindedly.

"You think he'z coming?", he asked nervously looking between each face that gave him the same incredulous expression.

"Of course, he's comin', mate.", drawled E. Aster Bunnymund from the corner of the room, tired of answering for the umpteenth time "We told the wind ta' get 'im and that's what it'll do… A' least I hopes so…"

Tooth and Sandy both glanced at each other and shook their heads. This little game had been going on for the better part of the day. North would be running around anxiously, giving stray yetis that were not trying to polish the floor, cooking or decorating, orders and shooing gaping elves away.

Their eyes wandered towards the ceiling and they couldn't help the smiles on their faces. They knew the youngest of them would appreciate their efforts and he by all rights, merited what they had planned for him. It was quite overwhelming to think that someone as volatile and unpredictable as Jack had become an indispensable part of their family. Although he was still a trouble-maker and epitome of fun and mischief, the elf had changed some since their battle against the Nightmare King.

No longer was he simply a meandering sprite looking for fun and trying to make children believe, but a source of inspiration for the bringers of dreams, hope, wonder and in Tooth's case even a helping hand and a strong shoulder for her to lean against when she was tired of being strong.

That was why they had been preparing everything up until now, when they knew the boy would be away for a day at least. Jack could not have known that his timing with pranks which had him running away was just perfect.

Yet, being the worry-wart he was, North tried to make everything perfect – a well-meant gesture that entailed a lot of hassle and bickering between him and Bunnymund especially. Tooth absentmindedly cradled the package she was holding in her hands. She hoped that he would like this one too. They really had tried their best with this one.

A few stray snowflakes caught their attention as they came dancing inside the building on the wind. In an instant North went from nervous to serious and Tooth gave a little inner sigh of relief just like everyone else.

"That was signal!", he cheered loudly, clapping his hands and turning towards every being in the room, "He'z coming!"

He turned around towards the workers: "Jack iz coming! Get ready! Now!"

The yetis nodded before running off into different directions, clueless elves hot on their heels, hoping that they could get something to eat out in this whole hassle. The mini fairies promptly returned to Tooth, chattering relentlessly while Baby Tooth tried her best to hold them under control. Ever since the battle the heterochromatic fairy had changed. Instead of a simple copy she had become something more complex and so Tooth had taken it upon herself a few years ago to give new tasks that the little fairy fulfilled without problem.

If one looked closely, he might notice the slight difference in size between her and her fellow fairies.

A few stray eggs assembled at Aster's feet as he put down the one he had been working on. Sandy for his part conjured up a small spyglass, positioning himself in one of the windows so he could maybe catch a glimpse of the boy before he arrived.

The dark sky was unusually clear, the untainted expanse of the universe visible. Sandman felt a light stab inside his heart as he caught sight of a few constellations he had visited eons ago but ever would be able to see up close again.

Even without the instrument he was able to make out a small blue point in the distance with his sharp eyes. He rushed back into the room, catching the others' attention with various hand signals and golden symbols.

As soon as he was done, a gust of wind swept inside the observatory and Jack Frost elegantly swept in through the opening overhead.

"Sorry, I'm late.", he exclaimed happily dusting himself off. The others greeted back but as they all caught sight of the blue hoodie they all silently agreed that indeed they had made the right decision. Even though Jack did not acknowledge it, the clothing had faded considerably in the last decades giving it a dusty grey hue. The seam was frayed and the white strings to adjust the width of the hood were missing. How and where the boy had lost them still remained a mystery just as much as the question how his pants on the other hand seemed completely fine.

As soon as Jack had the excessive snow out of his hair, did he take a look around the room. He stopped short, noticing that something was off about the way his fellow Guardians were looking expectant and ready to burst. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw a motion. A shadow.

Alarmed, he gripped his staff tighter but otherwise he carried it off well. The other Guardians had no knowledge of Pitch's return and it was better if it stayed that way. He suppressed the urge to shake his head at his own silliness. Pitch promised he wouldn't attack.

"Jack!", North announced and came towards him, patting the boy on the shoulder _lightly. _Jack had to pin his staff on the ground so that he did not stumble into the floor face first. He raised an eyebrow. Had the floorboards always been this shiny?

"Good to see you made it. We were already worried."

Going by the comical and joint eye-roll of the other occupants of the room, Jack understood that _we _only meant one. Just like always.

He smiled up at North scratching the back of his neck with his left hand.

"There really was no need to. I promised I would come to every meeting now. But isn't it kind of early?"

The question was justified. Easter had been just yesterday. Jack gave Bunny a tentative smirk and to his relief the Pooka truly seemed not to have minded this year's joke too much since he gave him a silent nod in reply. North gave a dismissive wave with his hand like he was shooing away some flying insect, getting back Jack's full attention.

"Maybe, but matter important. You will like it.", he assured guiding Jack towards the group.

He noticed a little package in Tooth's arms as they drew closer, mouthing a _'What?' _his blue eyes quickly darting towards it. She gave him a cheeky smile and a wink in return, not ready to spoil the surprise. He blinked twice but let it slip. It probably had something to do with what they wanted to discuss anyway. That was until he noticed that glint in Sandy's eyes – something between mischievous and friendly. They had something planned and Jack was not so sure anymore if he wanted to find out.

He and Sandy liked to pull pranks on others but when it came to Jack Bunnymund might not be too reluctant to ask the older Guardian for help with _jokes_.

North gave him a pat n the shoulder while he joined the small line of people. That was when Jack had a sort of déjà-vu. They all were standing like they had on the day when he had been shoved into a sack to be teleported here. That was so long ago and Jack was glad it was that way now.

North clapped his hands, startling everyone.

"Jack Frost," , he said in a most joyful manner everyone beside him practically beaming. Their eyes were on him and he self-consciously tugged at one of his sleeves in embarrassment. He did not really know what was going to come but he felt excited and nervous nonetheless. The atmosphere in the room just called for it.

"You have been with us for long time now. A hundred years ago, you accepted oath as a Guardian.", North's blue eyes radiated with pride and jack could feel the tips of his ears getting cold from the blush that was forming. Just as he had feared, North was going to hold a speech but at the moment he felt so happy he could gladly ignore it.

"Through all those years you stayed true to your heart.", the Russian continued, putting his hand on the spot where Jack's heart was. His own hand found its way into the pocket of his hoodie where he could feel the varnish of a small wooden matryoshka.

Bunnymund stepped up towards him and smiled, whiskers twitching.

"You learned what it meant to protect the children.", he picked up his paw also coming to a rest on the same spot but on Norths huge hand. Jack had a hard time swallowing the lump in his throat making his vocal cords contract.

Next came Tooth, who like always hovered over the ground. Her violet eyes were radiant.

"You overcame the saddest of moments." She added quietly and followed suit in laying a hand on his heart. Jack could feel the sting in his eyes but since breathing had become sort of a problem he resumed to smile at them.

At last Sandy came. He only made one sign, one that Jack hadn't seen in more than ninety years and that only he could understand fully: An adult embracing a child.

"_And you showed kindness." _

The golden man's hand was the last to touch on the other hands and Jack was fighting hard to keep his composure. He wanted to do something, anything really, to let them know how much these words, those gestures meant to him but he was unable to.

They retreated a few steps but that did nothing about how he felt.

"You are and were from the first day a Guardian and now you have earned place amongst us, Jackson Overland Frost, Guardian of Fun."

North had taken him by the shoulders and turned him around towards the encasement where the stone, that only appeared when a Guardian was chosen, was hidden. At first he could not see anything that should be of interest, the pattern on the floor with the triangular insignia of the other members being the same. That was when his eyes caught sight of the shadow again. He looked up and his mouth opened in awe.

A golden hexagon was floating and turning in thin air over the circle with the stone and carved into it was a simple shape of a human with a crooked staff like none other. He blinked very quickly to disperse whatever tears wanted to sneak past his lids.

He wanted to say than you but his voice was completely numb. So instead he smiled, he happiest he had ever. They crowded around him, giving a pat, a little slap or just a hug.

Tooth hummed to his right. He gazed at her, her own smile just as bright as his.

"There is also something else.", she said quietly and handed him the little package he had noticed earlier. It was rectangular and of a dark blue but rather light. He looked at all of them inquisitively unable to believe that there still was more after everything.

The all nodded and so he gingerly lifted the cover only for his eyes to grow large yet again at the sight. With her petite hands Tooth lifted the content out of the box revealing a piece of cloth.

"We made this for you.", she said putting the blue cloak around his shoulders and adjusting it. The fabric was soft and light and of exactly the same color as the hoodie he currently sported, "We thought that maybe a little change would be appropriate."

"Ya' better be grateful.", Bunnymund half-joked, half-grunted from behind him, "And don't ask how we managed to make it weigh nothin'. Gave us all a headache!"

Jack chuckled, ending partially in a snuffle. Composure, Jack. Composure.

"There, all done.", Tooth chimed in smiling flirtatiously after she had buttoned up his collar.

"Looks handsome!", North exclaimed happily, causing some sort of commotion (consisting of elves and yetis playing instruments, confetti and banners).

Seemingly agreeing with him, Tooth drew Jack closer with his collar and kissed him. Jack returned the kiss gently but eagerly, drowning out the hassle around him. He knew that North only meant well but… that was simply how he was and he would not have it any other way.

When and Tooth parted, he nipped her nose, earning him a giggle before turning towards the rest of his family. His girlfriend took the box out of his hands and let something else, completely white appear from it.

"That goes with the cape.", she explained as he turned the long sleeved shirt every way.

"Th-Thanks!", he stammered, surprised that he could talk again and quickly tried to wriggle himself out of his hoodie to put on the last of his new clothes, while still having the cloak on. They all grinned at how energetic he was being. He really could act just like a kid when he wanted to.

After nearly tangling himself in the fabric and nearly crashing into the floor, his head finally came free and he dumped the old cloth next to him. He gave it a short glance but there was nothing to be upset about.

The hoodie was from the days when he had been a loner, from when he was the unseen winter sprite Jack Frost with no memories. It was time to leave these things behind.

And just as he was chattering with his family did a moonbeam make its way into the room, shining down on the chamber of the stone.


	11. Chapter 11 - When it all comes together

When it all comes together…

_Note:_

_This is the final chapter to both "Sensitive Re-Collection" and "Tales of a lonely Wanderer". It would be better if you read both before this one._

* * *

They looked at the blue replica, eyes disbelieving and minds denying what was undoubtedly and truly there.

It had only taken a fraction of a second for the cheerful and delighted air of a celebration for their youngest member, who had been amidst them for a whole century now, to turn into the somber atmosphere of people who were certain a battle was coming.

The shock was evident on all of their faces. Nicholas St. North, who had taken a step back with eyes wide and confused, rubbed at them just to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Looking for assurance he turned towards Toothiana who hovered a few inches above the ground. She nodded numbly, her mouth opened the tiniest bit, as she caught North's look. Sandy stood next to Bunnymund, who was frozen on the spot his green eyes showing his incredulity and betrayal. Sandman's expression was unreadable not giving away whether he was truly surprised or if he had expected something like this to happen. But it was unlikely.

Jackson Overland Frost for his part stood at the back of the balcony that served as their usual room for discussion. He could see the blue hologram through a gap between his friends and family and for a moment he was afraid he would crumple to the ground unceremoniously. His body felt as if it had turned into cotton. It was only thanks to the staff he carried with him at all times that it did not happen.

The first reaction came from an irate Easter Bunny. The Pooka shook his furry head so forcefully that his ears were flapping against his skull so violently they made a comical clapping sound. The eyes of his friends were on him as seemed to swell with anger, an accusing finger pointed at the harmless picture hovering above the stone, face impassive and unmoved by the strong emotions directed towards it.

"This is a bloody joke."

Bunnymund's voice was dripping with venom as his head whipped towards the only opening in the domed ceiling the light of the moon could penetrate through to shine on the shrine of the five Guardians. His eyes narrowed into slits.

"This is a bloody joke ya' dipstick!"

They all flinched at the harshness, the sheer amount of _hatred _carried in that accusation but his cry was not left unanswered, although probably not by the one he had wished for.

"Bunny!" Tooth said firmly flying over to him, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. Instead of letting her comfort him like always, he swatted her hand away angrily as if it was a nasty fly that had been in his field of vision far too long and needed to be put back into place. The fairy withdrew, backing away from him and towards the others.

This was unlike any situation they ever had had to face before.

Again they looked at what was unmistakably the form of their former enemy Pitch Black before the image of the man in a long coat with his hair brushed towards the back of his head faded away and the blue stone retreated back into its secure chamber, hidden from view.

The silence was heavy making the strong intakes from the Pooka, whose chest was rising and falling noticeably, seem even louder.

It had to be a bad joke like Bunny said. There was no way the Man in the Moon could have chosen another Guardian in these times of peace and even less one that used to scare children, to bring them misery and that had threatened the Guardians on more occasions than they could count. It was absurd even thinking about the possibility. Hadn't it been Pitch Black, the Nightmare King, who had orphaned MiM, who had destroyed thousands of worlds and lives, who had brought an end to the glorious Golden Age, who had committed crimes and cruelties beyond their imagination?

It left them feeling estranged, unreal. This could never be the decision he had come to. Just as Bunnymund, their eyes locked onto the pearly grey satellite in the dark sky, their minds and hearts reaching out towards the one that had given them their titles and purposes in the hopes of getting an answer. But there was silence as Jack gloomily noted for himself. To him it was nothing new but he could only guess that for his fellow Guardians it was feeling like they were being overlooked…or their feelings for that matter.

As no explanation, no words of comfort were delivered they all caved in on themselves a little, unable to think about how to handle the situation.

Bunnymund just stood in place, arms crossed over his chest, eyes glaring holes into the wooden floor, his muzzle twitching incessantly. The other three older Guardians stayed silent. What was there to say to make it less disagreeable? There wasn't. They all had a history with Pitch and trying to welcome him was a lot more problematic than simply driving him back into the shadows while being able to vent their anger instead of holding it back.

The Pooka stomped his hind-leg forcefully on the floor making all of them jump as though there had been an explosion.

"I ain't gonna accept that!", he declared furiously, running a hole into the wooden boards gesticulating with his arms exaggeratedly.

Their eyes just followed him. Once the bunny was 'unleashed' as they often joked, there simply was no way to stop him. Often it turned out it was better he got his ranting; he would always be open to a normal talk once he got the excessive emotions out of his system.

"You know what? Let's forget about it. It's not like we have ta' carry everything out just like MiM says. There's no threat, is there?", the split second he took to look at their faces before any of them could voice an objection, seemed like a silent agreement in his mind. He continued pacing, not missing a beat.

"We don't need him, let's just ignore him and get out of his way."

What he had said made sense to most of them, even to Sandy who entertained the idea but he knew there at least one person in the room who would disagree with it even if his sympathy for the Nightmare King had its limits.

Discreetly the golden man watched the winter spirit out of the corner of his eyes and was not disappointed to see the ghost of a thrown on the younger man's face. It wasn't reproachful, his eyes not holding that tell-tale spark of burning anger, just contemplative and sympathetic.

Jack was not in the room anymore. His mind was back to the day he had met the Boogeyman the last time thirty years ago. It had been a short conversation and indeed Pitch hadn't shown any kind of animosity (although his parting words had left Jack mulling over them for nights on end, trying to find a hidden threat in them and coming up with nothing).

His enemy (he caught himself asking if it should now have _former _added) had wanted nothing more than to talk and for reasons only Jack could probably understand fully. That didn't change his own reluctance towards MiM's newest and probably most hazardous choice for a new Guardian. He suddenly felt rather self-conscious thinking about the others must have reacted when he had been designated. He probably did not want to know either. He could only guess that for Bunnymund he had been just as welcome as Pitch.

He had made his decision even before he could think clearly of what he was going to say.

"I'll go and talk to him."

His words had been quiet, barely above a whisper but he could as well have been shouting. Everyone, Guardians, yetis and even the elves were staring at him as if he had proclaimed he would not pull any pranks on Bunnymund ever again: Totally absurd and never happening.

The only other person in the room who did not seem to be taken aback by Jack's confession was Sandy who gave him an affirmative nod. He had been thinking along the same lines just a few seconds ago.

Once Bunnymund managed to regain his senses and close his mouth, he blinked at the albino a few times: "Ya' pullin' my leg, mate, aren't ya'?"

His incredulous expression was also visible on North's and Tooth's face, making Jack falter a bit in his well-meant resolve. To him it was fairly logical to go in their stead. After all, Pitch had approached him for an alliance when he had been alone (although out of selfishness), had sent him a message through the wind and had not lured him into some kind of trap with it. He at least had enough emotional understanding and distance towards him to have a normal conversation with the man.

So, refraining from slouching he held his staff a bit more tightly and looked the Easter Bunny right into his green eyes.

"No, Bunny, I mean it."

One could even see from the outside what was going on inside the Pooka's head. It looked as though something inside him was crumbling and crashing and Jack felt bad for it but it would not change his mind. In a flash the bunny's demeanor changed and he was back to being wrathful.

"Ya can't be serious!", he shouted advancing on him, his eyes ablaze with a fury unlike any Jack had seen up until now and it scared him just as much as one of Pitch's Night Mares. Oblivious to the effect he was having on the Guardian of fun he went on, "Not after everything he did to you.. to us!"

His right paw snapped back behind him where the others were watching with growing uneasiness the argument that was to unfold. Jack took a deep breath before making a retort.

"I… I know Bunny. It's not like I have forgotten but…"

"But what!", interrupted the spirit of Easter. His fur was so bristled that he appeared twice his size, a truly intimidating sight when it was you he was looking at, "He is the Boogeyman! He tried ta' hurt the children, even Jamie and Sophie!"

"Of course I know that.", Jack replied heatedly although he tried his best at staying calm. What was he thinking? It's not like he had erased the memories about what the man had done but he at least deserved the benefit of the doubt, if MiM himself was suggesting he become a protector of the children. But Bunnymund wouldn't have any of it, he could tell. That did not stop him from trying.

"It's just, when Manny already does give him a second chance, then we should follow his example and talk to him and since you don't seem to even want to I thought I…"

He never got to finish his sentence.

"And since when is it of any importance to you what MiM says!", Bunny scoffed earning him a joint shout of protest and outrage from Tooth and North. The temperature in the room dropped dangerously as Jack's eyes narrowed and his knuckles turned white from the tight grip he had on his staff.

"That," he hissed, "was low."

Bunnymund raised an eyebrow at him mockingly: "So what? Ain't that true? Just like with Pitch bein' the bad guy."

The winter elf knew the spirit of Easter was out for a fight now.

"And how can you possibly know that? Hm!", he challenged, glaring daggers at Bunny, although it lost some of its effectiveness since he had to stand on tip-toes to be at eye-level with him, "You haven't seen the guy in a century! How can you be so sure he's still the same?"

"And how can you tell me that when you haven't seen him in that long, either!"

Instead of seeing the boy slouch his shoulders, which to Bunnymund's great delight would have been an admittance to defeat, Jack's lips became a thin line and his blue eyes quickly shot into another corner of the room. The Easter Bunny felt his stomach drop through the core of the earth. That look only came up when Jack was trying to hide something…

"Jack…", it was Tooth, who gave him a tentative and desperate look, having caught on the silence.

Jack looked her in the eyes and cast his own back down instantly unable to meet her violet gaze. She gasped, understanding full well what it meant.

Jack felt a bit of shame crawl under his skin like an itch. He had never told them. It had always been his little secret and he had wished, hoped with all his might that it would stay that way. Lady Luck still had to be angry at him for having frozen her hair by accident.

"After everything…", Bunnymund shook so violently that his voice came out as a quiver. His green eyes were full of distain. Jack felt like he was back in 1968.

"He sent me a message.", he confessed meekly, careful to avoid further eye-contact, "It was some time ago already. He said he just wanted to talk and that's all we did: Talk."

His head was bent low and he had to look through his white bangs to make out their faces. Tooth looked torn between being understanding and exasperated while North seemed to be just as rattled as Bunnymund who was still shaking. For a moment he was frantically searching for Sandy's kind face when to his surprise he found the Sandman to his right a hand gently reaching up and patting his elbow awkwardly.

Jack grinned down at him, mouthing a "Thanks". Sandy simply smiled back up at him. He would have been the last person on earth to accuse the boy after the night they had spent on that roof. He had come to terms with Pitch and his own near-death experience. That was only thanks to Jack also. He guessed that if it hadn't been for the young spirit he would by now still have reacted as hostile as Bunnymund but he also was far from being at ease with MiM's latest habit of picking the most unusual (might he say unsuited this time) candidates for guardianship.

Sandman's acceptance of Jack's sympathy and his less than shocked appearance at the revelation that the boy had been seeing Pitch in secret sent the other occupants of the room reeling.

"Sandy, you can't tell me that ya' alright with this. Pitch tried ta' kill ya!"

Bunnymund stared at the dream giver with the same stricken look when one of the children had walked through him the first time in centuries. Instead of conjuring up sand images Sandy stared back with his twinkling golden eyes and nodded slowly. Bunny took a few steps back from him as if he was a poisonous weed, North and Tooth trying to approach him carefully while he seemed to cave in on himself.

"I won't accept this.", he said quietly and tapped his hind-leg on the floor three times, a hole big enough for him appearing on the ground. Before any of them could stop him, the Pooka had jumped inside his tunnel before it sealed up.

The silence in the room was heavy. Their eyes were still glued to the spot where Bunnymund had just stood moments ago. The elder Guardians shared a look as they knew what had occurred in the past between the Pookas and Pitch. And indeed, while Sandy supported Jack's notion it did not mean that he would have preferred for Manny to never have told them. To Bunny it was nothing less than atrocious backstabbing.

Jack ignored the facts for he had never been told what had happened exactly to have the Pooka in such denial. They looked at him also, entertaining the idea of telling him so that he would not stare at them with questions written all over his face but the thought was dismissed as soon as it came up. It was up to Bunnymund to tell Jack, not them, even if it would make things indefinitely easier.

Since no one seemed eager to speak Jack took it upon himself to break their quiet mulling.

"You better go and see if Bunny's fine. I guess he wouldn't want to talk to me anyway.", he added, a sad crooked smile sneaking itself onto his lips, "I will be talking with Pitch."

Before any of them could even ask how he would be able to find the Nightmare King, the boy leapt out of the opening in the ceiling and took off into the unusually clear and cold night sky, a few flakes following his path.

The three remaining Guardians sighed in unison.

* * *

Pitch didn't think he would ever hear again from the winter spirit… at least on his own accord. Still the distinct chill from the north wind had reached him not too long ago. That was why he was in this park again, with the bench that had gone to rack in the relatively short amount of time he hadn't been here. It was the second day after Easter Sunday. He paced nervously, not really knowing what he was to expect. Dare he believe that maybe the boy was not resentful anymore and that he simply wanted to have a chat?

He shook his head at the absurdity. He was hoping for something that was unlikely to ever happen. They had only talked once. One time would not change everything. So that brought him back to the question: Why did the boy want to meet with him in the first place?

He looked around once more, first at the line of bare trees and then back up at the sky, either for the white-haired teenager or his friend the blue butterfly. It had just left a few minutes ago in search for a body of water to replenish. Pitch had come to understand what he had first witnessed at the pond decades ago. It was not necessarily moonlight that the beetle craved for but water indeed.

Whenever they went to some place with little to no amounts of said liquid one could watch its glow diminishing by the day. Places that were too hot were no good either and his companion would resume to hiding in his cape while he was doing what he was supposed to do. Once they reached colder regions again it would just come fluttering out again, as if nothing had happened. It still puzzled him as to what was the connection of the two but he had stopped questioning that peculiar aspect of his friend a long time ago.

When not even the slightest of a cooling draft passed over the untrimmed lawn he went over to the bench and set down on it. The place where he'd been turning his rounds was clearly visible on the ground. He'd managed to flatten the grass there considerably, bits of mud on the soggy soil making it stick to the ground. Self-consciously he glanced at the end of his cape to find it, to his not so great surprise, clean and free from any mud that normally would have gathered there were he a living thing.

He didn't question anymore why sometimes he had an effect on his surroundings even if it should not be possible.

Having had enough with his fingertips drumming on his knees incessantly, he laced his fingers together and let his elbows rest on his knees instead. He could not recall a time where he had been more agitated. With a pang in his heart he remembered that indeed there was one time and it had to do with his daughter Seraphina. Lately he had the feeling that everything that made him want to hide in some cave for the rest of eternity had inevitably to do with her and the family he had lost.

He sighed before tilting his head back, his eyes closed. The memories were crystal clear now, no longer appearing like broken reflections. Sometimes when he concentrated he could faintly hear her laughter but at the moment his mind was far too preoccupied with other things.

He snapped back into reality when he heard the wind picking up. His golden eyes flew open searching in the sky. He heard a branch snap behind him and got up, turning around in one swift motion.

"You are pretty jumpy, you know.", said a shadowy silhouette from above the crown of a tree. Pitch did not reply but relaxed. He recognized his voice. Jack had come.

Jack, seemingly not waiting for an answer, leapt from his lookout and came to a halt next to the bringer of nightmares and fears. That was when Pitch managed to see the changes he had gone through – or rather the change in his choice of clothing at least.

Instead of the blue hoodie, that had been like some sort of a trademark, he now sported a long coat, the same blue as his old garment but underneath it was a simple white shirt. Frost was visibly lacing the colored fabric but the boy's every movement changed the pattern instantly, not giving it the chance to become a fixed image. It suited him, he guessed, Jack was after all a travelling spirit that rarely seemed to stay in one place. He was also the most unpredictable Pitch had met until then. What struck his eyes most was the obvious lack of a hood.

Pitch noticed how Jack was eyeing him, as though he was making up his mind on something. He had to admit that he felt… _uncomfortable _with the way he was being inspected like some specimen.

To his relief Jack turned a little sideways on one of his heels, giving the moon in the sky more of his attention.

"You look better.", the boy commented dryly not looking at him again.

Pitch did not reply or make any move whatsoever. It was true. On their last encounter he had still looked ashen and worn down, the thousands of years he had lived finally visible on his physical form. Ever since their short encounter he had quite suddenly regained a healthier complexion. He was still gray and would always be but his eyes and cheeks were no longer sunken in, his fingers not as skeletal as on the day when he'd freed himself of the shadows in his heart.

He guessed that, yes, he was doing a lot better although he still ignored why. Maybe because he had a growing influence on children? Ridiculous. Even now, they barely believed in him.

The winter elf gave a loud sigh, running a hand through his snow-white hair. Snow began gently drifting towards the ground but melted as soon as it touched it. It wasn't cold enough anymore. Winter was long over in this region.

Nodding once vigorously Jack turned back towards him.

"You've been chosen.", he said face as serious as on the day when he had told him he wouldn't join his old self on his quest to bring an end to the Guardians.

Pitch stared at him confused. "Chosen for what?", he asked, frowning at the boy. What Jack had just said didn't really make any sense to him.

Jack was agitated and when he saw Pitch's questioning gaze he silently cursed under his breath for no reason. It just made Pitch all the more weary. What had transpired for the boy to be so high-strung? It wasn't like he hadn't been tense on their last meeting already but this was a whole new level.

Seeing that his cursing wouldn't make things better for him or for the other Guardians Jack just came to the point: "Pitch Black,…"

"Just Pitch.", the Boogeyman interrupted quickly but with little emotion. Jack glared at him for a second before shrugging it off.

"Well, _Pitch_, congratulations, you have been chosen as a Guardian."

Jack could as well have read out a funeral oration with his tone of voice. He frowned, unhappy and waiting for a reaction from Pitch. He had departed with the intention of at least trying to be nice to Pitch (something he was sure he had done by telling him he was not looking like a walking corpse anymore) but his worry for Bunny was making him irritable.

He felt bad for his brother-figure and he knew that him meeting with Pitch was not really helping his friend's situation.

When he received no answer for a long time (which had actually been not more than a few seconds) he looked back at the man, ready to _make_ him say something if necessary. Any words he might have had ready to throw at the others' head died in his throat.

Pitch looked like he had suffered some serious stroke. His eyes were wide open but glazed over, definitely not seeing his surroundings anymore. Jack couldn't even tell if he was breathing. He looked as lifeless like one of those ice statues North liked to make as a model for toys.

The minutes ticked by while Pitch was trying to make sense of what he'd just been told.

There was only one person that could choose a Guardian. He turned towards the moon, which was once again full and bright. His throat had to be clogged up with something because he couldn't make a single sound. He just stared, bewildered. Had he been forgiven? But why? He couldn't think of anything he had done to deserve it and even less the position he had been offered by the man he had stolen his family from.

"We were just as surprised as you.", Jack added quietly also looking at the satellite. Pitch stared at him for a moment but was unable to reply still. The winter elf went on.

"It came out of the blue. We were at the Pole and suddenly he sent one of his moonbeams to declare that you were to become one of us. I do not think I have to tell you that most of us were not too thrilled about the news."

His face was somber, his eyebrows furrowing as he found himself yet again feeling anxious to know how the others were handling Bunnymund at this moment. To his surprise a mirthless smile crossed Pitch's features as he listened.

"Indeed.", he said quietly, his golden eyes searching for something between the trunks of the trees on the other side of the clearing, "I do think that Sandman was most likely the one who was opposing to the idea the most."

Jack shook just his head before replying. It was strange how quickly his anger had vanished. He felt that gut-churning guilt again when he understood that he was actually at ease talking with his former enemy like this. He did not know when he had come to grow so calm around someone like Pitch. Or maybe it was because Pitch had changed.

"No, he was actually standing up for me when I volunteered to go and look for you."

Pitch gave him a look of surprise but Jack did not give him the chance to add anything to that.

"Bunny was the one who was fuming."

"Justifiably.", Pitch retorted in a small voice, "It was I who made him the last of the Pookas."

Beside him Jack groaned, wiping at his face with his hand. The teenager felt tired all of a sudden.

"I miss having normal human problems."

Pitch suppressed what could have been the ghost of a smirk. It might have been offending and it did not suit the situation or the things they were discussing. Instead he kept his features carefully neutral.

"So, what do you suppose we do?"

Jack was crouched on the ground, massaging his temples with both his hands. He let his blue eyes look the man up and down again. He exhaled before rising again. He let his staff twirl a little and instantly, the unruly grass blades became layered with ice and frost.

"Hiding won't solve anything.", his voice was grave and did not suit his young appearance. It was a reminder of how old he truly was even if he still acted on childish impulses.

"You and I should…"

Pitch snapped his attention back to Jack when the boy's voice died down. He was staring at something in the distance, a glowing blue light coming out of the trees. Slowly he approached it, Pitch following suit. He could tell what it was and Jack's reaction was one he had not expected.

He watched as the blue butterfly came flying towards them. Pitch had his hand already outstretched, ready to let it take refuge in his coat when it suddenly steered towards the only other person on the clearing. Jack was staring at it as though someone had slapped him. He too held out his hand (clumsily catching his staff before it could connect with the ground) and the beetle settled down on it elegantly, flapping its wings one or two times.

Jack looked at it with huge eyes, mouth hanging open in amazement. Pitch bit back the pang of jealousy that was wriggling inside his chest like some restless animal. It was strange how docile his companion was when it had never met another person but him.

What Jack whispered next made him feel like someone had pulled a rug from under his feet.

"But…", the boy stammered looking at him in bewilderment, " but I thought that it had disappeared already."

Jack blinked a few times, even went to pinch himself with his free arm but it was still there: The snow butterfly he had created nearly a century ago. Pitch was at a loss, not understanding what was transpiring. He could not know about his friend's origins.

"You know him?", he asked, intrigued as to how there could be any recognition on that face when it shouldn't be there.

Jack still looked at him, exhaling and his shoulders slumping a little. He looked away briefly, biting on his lower lip before having enough confidence to face Pitch's inquisitive look.

"I created him.", he replied calmly.

There was a silence and the butterfly used that opportunity to make itself comfortable on Pitch's shoulder. He could feel a slight chill as its legs touched down on his shoulder and that was when it all fell into place in his mind, like when you found the long-lost piece of a puzzle whose image did not make any sense until you found it finally.

The blue glow, the coldness it emitted, the reason why it needed water so badly, why it couldn't take the heat of a warm spring day even… He had the sudden urge to sit down but unfortunately the bench was out of reach.

He rolled his tongue absentmindedly. It was as though his feelings that were in turmoil had tied it in a knot. Jack Frost first seemed unable to form a sentence himself although he was racking his brain to find the right words. He had admitted to what he had done, so how was he to continue?

"I never thought he would remain longer than a few minutes.", he confessed, chuckling nervously and scratching at the back of his head in embarrassment. To say the situation was less than awkward would have been the most blatant as well as the most pathetic lie in the world or in history.

After a while it became silent again. Jack fingered the wood of his staff, waiting for a reply.

"He saved me."

Jack's head perked up at the soft whisper. He frowned in confusion but Pitch was not looking at him really, he seemed to be talking to himself.

"When I was in that underground cave, he saved me. He helped me remember who I was, before I became the Nightmare King, before I released the ones I had to guard."

Jack listened with baited breath. Could it be that…

Pitch looked up at him, the defeated, painful, tormented smile of a father who had lost his family on his lips. It tore at Jack's heart. It would have even if he had willed himself not to feel sorry for the man in front of him.

"I once had a family, a daughter. She really liked them, butterflies.", he gently stroked one of the beetle's wings as if to make a point, "If it weren't for him.", he looked Jack in the eye, "If it weren't for you creating him, I might still be down there, torn and twisted by the shadows."

Jack scratched up a bit of dirt with the end of his staff, avoiding eye contact. He felt happy for some reason he couldn't fathom and he felt bad because it had something to do with the one person he was convinced it should not be related with. But what if it was true? What if he had helped Pitch? It was amazing to think that such a small gesture, he had almost forgotten about, could have had such an impact. Instantly he was reminded of Bunnymund and that not all of their problems could be solved this easily.

With effort he looked at Pitch. He was watching him too but Jack could not see that malevolence and scheming glinting in those now brilliantly golden eyes. He noticed with a start that the dirty silver that had dulled them was gone.

"Why did you do it?"

Jack blinked in surprise when the Boogeyman addressed him again. Understanding he had not caught on, Pitch repeated his question.

"Oh, well…", Jack mumbled uncomfortably, "It didn't feel right, letting you all alone in that hole. It is just like you said back then.", he smiled tentatively, "I already understand what it is like when no one cares."

Pitch nodded but his face became creased with worry.

"What did you want to say about the issue with me being chosen as a Guardian? Surely, none of them will appreciate me joining them."

It was true. Even if he was ready to give Pitch a second chance, it would be much more difficult to convince the others. He did not even want to imagine how Bunnymund would react, should he be in the same room as the one who had killed all of his kind. Tooth held a grudge against him for putting the fairies into cages as far as he knew and North…wouldn't be very happy either. Jack could still see his face when the Russian had told him about the time Pitch had corrupted the Djinni he had invented. He could still hear the crack from a block of ice handled with too much force out of anger.

The winter elf sighed. The situation truly seemed hopeless the only ray of light being that Sandy was at least willing to give it a try.

"Honestly? I don't know.", he admitted finally. He knew that whatever he had tried to suggest earlier was just doomed to failure. He wasn't anything near as wise as Sandy and not half as persuasive as North. He unconsciously fumbled with his coat as if it could grant him any kind of strength or as if it held the answer to all the problems he was facing.

He was just about to say something to lighten the mood at least the tiniest bit when a boisterous voice made him and Pitch tense and turn around frantically: "Found zyou!"

Emerging from between the line of trees to their left were none other than North, Tooth and Sandy. Their faces held the same seriousness but to Jack it was already a miracle that they had come. Noticing someone was missing he craned his neck to see if he was there, hoping against hope that maybe they had done the impossible. When he spied a pair of long ears and blue fur his face broke into a grin that would have put to shame any other child on a Christmas Eve.

"Bunny!", he exclaimed, running off towards them.

Without a word the Pooka raised one of his paws, making Jack stop in his tracks instantly. Bunny did not look at him and his face fell as if he had been scolded for a silly mistake.

"Before ya' say anything", he looked up to see Jack giving him the look like he was a lost child seeking guidance, "I am not happy with this."

Jack glared back pouting, clearly expressing what he was thinking: As if he didn't know that already. But once he caught Tooth's less than sympathetic gaze he pulled himself together and she went back to giving him a small hidden smile.

"Ya' have ta' thank Sandy. He told us evrythin'."

The Guardian of dreams gave an affirmative nod but his attention was focused on the man who hadn't moved from the spot since their sudden arrival. He gave Jack a knowing smile. He was the only one that had paid attention to the small blue light in shape of a butterfly before it disappeared inside the Boogeyman's coat. It was better if it stayed their little secret for now until the others were ready.

Jack gave him a weak grin before turning to Bunnymund with a solemn face. He knew from own experience that the Pooka was not one to let go of past wrong-doings so easily. It would take time and patience for him and Pitch to eventually accept each other. But Jack was ready to give the man a second chance and if they were already here... maybe they also were ready.

With a nod he signaled Pitch it was safe to come closer. Reluctantly he did so, accepting what was to be his new path. His golden eyes briefly flashed towards the moon. He hoped deep down that he could make it up to the ones he had wronged and as he approached the Guardians he couldn't help thinking that things happened for a reason as the butterfly inside his coat stirred slightly.

* * *

"Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery."  
― J.K. Rowling, _Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire_

* * *

_The End_

Author's Note

This is by far the biggest project I ever begun and that I ever managed to finish. I have been neglecting my writing for a while now. I felt sad, I was depressed because I had the feeling that I was not doing a good enough job – not with my fanfictions, not at home and not at work either.

It made me crawl into a small shell and I only wrote in secret, too ashamed to publish what I had written.

When I went to see Rise of the Guardians I suddenly had a feeling: "You have to write something about this!"

It started as a One-Shot and with great reluctance did I first publish it on dA. I was really desperate that it would be simply looked over but some people heard my cry and answered it and I am really grateful for that. Without them, this whole series would never have become what it is now!

I thank KairaKara101 and Galimatias on dA for they gave me back my courage to write.

I thank moonpuppy4 on dA, Eullie, the-ice-cold-alchemist, TheBoyWonder, Alana-kittychan and MisteryMaiden on for their wonderful reviews.

I thank GraphiteDoll on dA because a great artist like her allowed me to use her drawings as the cover art for the One-Shots.

And I thank all of you that have been following this series and who have faved it!

Thank you all so much!

And a big thank you for my friend natschi on dA for without her discussions this work would never have come into existance!

I will now be concentrating on "The Secrets of the Worlds" and finish my One-Shot for the TFP fandom.


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